Make Your Small Business Eco-Friendly

You may think that making your operations eco-friendly is going to be time consuming and costly, but surprisingly going green can lower your operating costs in the long run.

Going green is all about maximizing efficiency and conservation, and minimizing consumption - concepts that small businesses like to hear. You can do the environment and your business good by making a few small and simple changes in your operations.

Conserve Energy

Between office lighting, computers, phones, printers and heat, offices consume a huge amount of electricity which results in hefty bills each month. But did you know that there are programs offered by Hydro companies that provide incentives for going green? The Small Business Lighting Program provides qualifying businesses with up to $1000 worth in free energy efficient lighting and equipment upgrades. Companies like Hydro One offer the Electricity Retrofit Incentive Program, which provides rebates to companies that have adopted energy efficient technologies.

Recycle

This seems like a no-brainer, but many companies still do not take the time to implement recycling programs for their business. Recycling doesn’t just mean paper or water bottles, ink and toner cartridges can also be reused and office equipment can be refurbished. As well, eco-friendly office supplies such as paper made from recycled or post-consumer content is available from most office suppliers.

Reduce Waste

This is the simplest way to go green, and to reduce operating costs. Encourage employees to only print when necessary, to print on both sides of paper, and to recycle all used paper. Digital communication and computer backups enable us to work electronically rather than leaving a constant and unnecessary paper trail.

Lead By Example

It’s one thing to implement an eco-friendly business model, it’s another thing to actually abide by your rules. Make sure that you introduce the new ideas to employees formally and provide easy ways for them to take part. Eventually, these ideas can be implemented as policies for all employees, and your business will be well on its way to going green!