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There are many ways to make your workplace more sustainable and earth-friendly, even if you’re a small business on a tight budget. Modern consumers prefer to support companies that are environmentally aware and sustainable, meaning you are more likely to close deals and make sales if you take on an environmentally-friendly approach. How can you make your workplace more sustainable? Here are 5 revolutionary ways:
1. Make Everything Virtual
Working remotely has become more relevant than ever, but it’s not just better for people’s lifestyles, it’s also better for the environment. Remote work tends to rely on the cloud for data storage and communications. This translates to less paper, fewer resources, and a lighter carbon footprint. For those needing an actual address, switching to serviced offices can make a world of difference. You still get an official address, a landline telephone, a receptionist, and more.
2. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting
People underestimate the importance of using energy-efficient lighting. This one simple switch can make a tremendous difference to the strain you place on the grid, and the impact this has on the environment. As a bonus, you’ll receive a cheaper bill each month. In fact, many of these energy-saving methods and lifestyle changes will also benefit you – creating convenience, saving you money, or boosting the quality of your goods or services.
3. Support Local Businesses
When you support a local business, you’re also boosting your local economy. How does this affect your efforts to be sustainable? When you source your supplies locally, you’re reducing the need for imports. This reduced the demand for flights, which means there is less need for fuel production and less pollution. You also get to support small businesses, keeping money in the pockets of people instead of corporations.
4. Embrace Composting
Don’t throw an apple core in the trash. Don’t toss your tea bags in there either. In fact, don’t even dispose of your coffee filters in the bin. Composting is the way of the future. Workplaces are notorious for disregarding these practices, leaving them for people to take up at home.
The easiest way to introduce composting at the workplace is by bringing in a container that can seal. Line it with newspaper and use it for anything that can be composted. At the end of the day, take it home and toss it in a pre-dug hole in the ground. Cover it with garden refuse and soil, and you’re off and running.
What can you compost? Any foods that are unprocessed and raw, including fruits, vegetables, and raw meat. You can also add biodegradable compounds, like coffee filters. Cutting down on office waste reduces landfill areas and decreases the demand for garbage disposal. Compost feeds the microbes in the soil that are responsible for fertile earth.
5. Add Plants
Plants can reduce the need for temperature control. They also remove harmful toxins from the air and improve workplace productivity. In addition to these benefits, the human eye can detect more shades of green than any other color. Our genetic makeup is geared towards being surrounded by beautiful, lush foliage. With all these factors working together, you can reduce illness and improve air quality with office plants.
Switching to an environmentally friendly business approach isn’t that complicated. You just need a plan and some creative thinking. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. The idea is to evaluate where you can improve and find ways of doing that. Once you have introduced a few changes, be sure to share it with the public so that those who support eco-businesses can find you.
