Ideas for going green

Taking the plunge

So you’re interested in greening your company…now what? Not everyone owns their company building, and the landlord might ask you to leave (or even escort you off the premises) if you showed up and started installing your own solar panels. Maybe the used computers you buy work like they’re ready for recycling from day 1, or everyone in the organization already uses public transportation or works from home. Whatever the situation, you still want to do something to help the environment.

What can you do?

We found ourselves asking the very same question not that long ago: how can we “be more green” without spending too much of that other green? Here are some of the things we've done, which may provide you with just the kind of information you need. We are proof that you can save money while helping out the environment.

Reduce, reuse and then recycle – obviously, using less and buying less saves money and waste

For internal documents, set up one of your printers to print only on the clean side of scrap paper – not only does this just make sense, it saves money on paper

Write an environmental vision statement – sometimes the creation of a (virtual) document can mean quite a lot … think Magna Carta, not Jerry McGuire

Obtain a Green Business certification, the next step after creating a vision statement – you get audited on what you’re doing, see where you can improve, and can commit to improving for subsequent certifications

Set up a composting bin in the office kitchen and use the compost in the company garden OR an employee’s home garden – make sure you get a real composting bin … because you want to go green, not smell green [tip: adding coffee grounds to the compost will help keep the bin smelling pleasant]

Turn off any lights that are not ultimately necessary – this includes keeping the lights off in rooms not in use

Replace all floor and desk lamps with CFLs – more than anything else, this saves money on your energy bill

Take a “lighting audit” to minimize the number of lighting fixtures in your office – if they’re not necessary, even if they have CFL bulbs, they’re wasting energy

Provide transportation incentives to your employees – offering free bike maintenance repairs to employees who bike a significant portion of the week, offering subsidized public transportation for your employees, and even offering $5 for a toll bridge/road can go a long ways towards making single car commuters a thing of the past at your company

The next time you need to buy paper, buy 100% PCW – that stands for post-consumer waste, and it's the most environmentally friendly recycled paper you can buy

Recycle your printer’s toner cartridges – not only does it save the three quarts of oil that it takes to make a new cartridge, but your supplier will also pay you for them

Purchase reusable kitchen supplies – this means no more single use plastic cups, plates and utensils, which will save your company money down the road…and if you want to save money on getting those dishes washed, hire an intern!

Replace your single-serving coffee maker with a French press, traditional coffee pot or premium cappuccino maker – not only does it get rid of all those single-serving packages of grounds, there is also the added bonus of saving the local landfill from all those disposable cups your employees had been getting with their retail coffee

When purchasing new electronic equipment, buy Energy Star – Energy Star products are at least 1/3 more efficient than their identical counterparts

Provide filtered water at the tap – eliminate the notion that bottled is better!

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