Its 6 Easy Steps for Making a Business More Eco-Friendly For many businesses, finding ways to become more eco-friendly is a growing concern. "Going green" isn't just healthy for the environment, it is also a way to save money and reduce operating costs. This combination of environmental consciousness and cost effectiveness allows eco-aware businesses to not only have a positive impact on the planet, but also increase their profitability. Becoming more eco-friendly involves making multiple changes to the way a business conducts its day-to-day operations, such as finding ways to reduce waste, water usage, and power consumption. This may seem like a daunting prospect, but many of these changes can be made very simply and quickly. These steps include: 1. Switching to compact fluorescent bulbs – Most businesses have traditionally used old fashioned incandescent light bulbs to light their offices and workspaces. By switching to newer, compact fluorescent lights, businesses can save themselves a large amount of money and become more energy efficient at the same time. Not only do fluorescent bulbs last much longer (up to years at a time), they also produce light 4 to 6 times more efficiently than incandescent bulbs.i 2. Going digital – One of the biggest sources of waste for businesses every year is paper. The average office worker in the US uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year, which adds up to 4 million tons of copy paper used per year in the US.ii That's a lot of trees cut down, and a lot of money spent on restocking copy machines and printers. By taking advantage of email and cloud-based sharing applications, businesses can greatly reduce their eco footprint by cutting back on the amount of paper used. Memos, notes, and other documents can all be shared via digital methods such as email and Google Drive instead of being printed. 3. Buying recycled products - Businesses can also become more eco-friendly by purchasing paper products made out of recycled material. Buying copy paper, bathroom tissue, paper towels, and other commonly used office products that are made out of reused paper greatly reduces the amount of lumber that is needed to keep businesses operational, resulting in less trees needing to be cut down. 4. Turning off unused equipment – Many offices leave printers, computers, and other electronic devices on even when they are not in use, resulting in lots of wasted energy every year. By keeping equipment turned off when not in use, businesses can reduce their energy usage by 25%-50%.iii To reduce energy consumption (and save on power bills), businesses should create a policy that encourages employees to turn off any electronics that they are not currently using, and to shut off their computers when they go home for the day. 5. Installing occupancy sensors – Some businesses use timers that turn their lighting, heating, and cooling systems on and off each day. Motion sensors have actually been proven to be a more energy efficient and cost effective energy management tool. With motion sensors, electricity is only used when there are actually people in the building. 6. Using rechargeable batteries – Another great way for businesses to become greener and save money in the long term is to use rechargeable batteries in their appliances. Batteries are not only the source of a large amount of environmentally hazardous waste, over time they can also be a very large expense. Instead of using batteries only once and then
throwing them out, businesses that switch to rechargeable will be able to buy fewer batteries, reducing the amount of trash they produce and keeping expenses down over time. By following these simple steps, businesses will not just be making the world a healthier, cleaner place. They will also be instituting changes that will make them more efficient and profitable in the long run. Going green isn't just good for the planet; it's good for business as well. Summary By adopting more eco-friendly policies, businesses can not only become greener, but also save money. These policies include reducing paper usage, turning off appliances, and using battery chargers. Company Bio Telecom Electrical Supply Company, or TES, has been in the wholesale electrical and telecommunications supply business since 1985. TES is committed to providing the best products and customer service in the industry. Visit their site at www.tes.com