Businesses today are under increasing pressure to operate responsibility. Whether it’s pressure from the government or even your customers – in the long-term, it pays to keep an eye on your organisation’s carbon footprint. Making efforts to offset your carbon emissions will do more for your company than just reduce your carbon footprint, it will also increase efficiency – making your business more profitable.
Many smaller organisations may believe that the issue of carbon emissions is only a concern for large multi-national businesses. However, the reality is – that in order to neutralise our environmental impact, every business should be putting their carbon footprint under the microscope.
Reviewing how your business operates from an environmental perspective doesn’t have to mean drastic changes all at once, you and your employees can make an impact by implementing small changes.
Energy
This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s amazing to see how many businesses waste so much energy unnecessarily.
Introduce an office policy to ensure all lights and non-essential appliances are switched off at the wall at the end of the day. Some appliances like laptops or printers can still use ‘vampire’ energy through its charger even though it is turned off – so ensure you unplug these and check that nothing is left on ‘standby’.
Switching to a greener energy supplier and changing all light sources to Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) can also go a long way to reducing your business’s carbon footprint.
Recycling
Make your small business a recycling friendly haven by removing individual desk bins and introducing recycling hot spots throughout the workspace. These should include waste containers for paper, plastics and other recyclable materials. Ensuring these are clearly labelled throughout the office will bring uniformity and make a recycling policy easier to implement.
Recycled paper, toilet-paper and printer cartridges are just a few great ways to reduce environmental waste and make a difference. Many organisations are now also adopting a paperless approach though the use of cloud based file sharing system and using electronic devices to display documents.
Your Employees
Share the responsibility of your carbon footprint with your employees by encouraging them to be more environmentally conscious themselves. Why not implement a car-share commute scheme to save on CO² emissions? Encouraging employees to use public transport or walk to work can also make a big impact. Many businesses are also allowing their employees to work from home – translating to a significant reduction in office overhead costs.
Maintenance
Making sure your premises and equipment are well maintained can go a long way to ensuring your business is running well too. Regularly servicing work vehicles, heating systems, electrical appliances and ventilation systems will mean that their efficiency is constantly being maintained and improved upon – reducing your carbon footprint and running costs too.
While it may take some time to see the full impact of making changes within your businesses, even taking small steps toward reducing your carbon footprint can benefit the environment – driving efficiency in the process.
By Eden Springs – the green water cooler company, who know exactly what it takes to cut your carbon footprint in half.
