The green concept has been floating around for a while. Its biggest advantage is, it allows us to contribute to protecting the environment.
But businesses need to consider other factors too. For instance, how will it affect their bottom line?
Below, we have mentioned some reasons besides environment conservation that make going green so beneficial:
A green office will save money
Sure, when viewed from a financial standpoint, building a green office from scratch may call for a hefty up-front investment. However, that is a one-time thing.
Later on, you will be surprised by the low cost of maintenance of the green office. Then there are the potential savings on heating and cooling due to the energy-efficient walls and flooring. You will soon recoup the startup cost when it comes to a green office.
Green offices mean healthier employees
A green building will better air quality since the plants in it will absorb indoor air pollution. Moreover, the greenery from Manuel Diaz farms will also promote the flow of oxygen.
Better air quality would mean your employees will be working in a healthier environment. Thus, they will be less likely to get sick. Businesses lose a lot of money for employee absences due to illness!
So, turning your office green is advantageous on multiple levels. But where should you start? Do you start small to see if the strategy will work? While some sustainability changes will need planning, you can introduce the go green concept to your workplace in small installments too.
Here are some ideas:
Choose eco-friendly lighting over traditional ones
Energy-efficient bulbs, such as these solar lights in lots, can be a good source of positive ROI. Compared to their conventional counterparts, you will be saving $45 on every bulb. They present an excellent way for businesses to light up their workspace without negatively affecting the environment. Types of bulbs you may use include light-emitting diodes (LED) lights and compact-fluorescent (CFL). They may indeed cost a little more, but they will last longer too.
In short, you will also reduce the electric bills while taking good care of the environment.
Work on reducing printer waste
Offices often have several kinds of printers functioning simultaneously. Besides printing, some copy, others are for scanning, and there are still others for faxing.
You can go green by switching to multifunction printers. For an even more eco-friendly approach, you can spring for a printer with duplexing abilities. Those can print on both sides of the paper, so there will be less wastage of paper.
Using recycled paper for all the printing done in the office is another great green idea. As is buying printers with eco-modes. These machines use less ink and toner for printing. You can print in that mode whenever you don’t require high-quality output.
Finally, refilling used ink and toner cartridges and then recycling them when that’s not possible is something else you can do.
Get rid of one-time-use cups
Having cafeterias or break rooms in offices allow employees to unwind during a workday. It promotes communication between the different departments.
Often, beverages like coffee and tea and snacks are also usually available. But the single-use Styrofoam and plastic cups that the drinks are consumed in are problematic. Neither material is biodegradable, which is why they are so harmful to the environment.
If you get rid of these single-use cups and replace them with mugs, it will be a win for the go green transformation.
You can also encourage employees to bring their reusable bottles. In case, quitting is too jarring, soften the blow by first switching to environmentally friendly cups instead.
A compostable plant-based container would serve as a viable alternative. These cups break down much faster than plastic ones. Thus, the former don’t contribute as much to pollution. Moreover, some companies may simply not have the option to go completely plastic-free. Environmentally friendly containers will be useful in such situations.
Say no to disposable stationery
U.S. citizens throw out 1.6 billion plastic, disposable pens each year. Imagine how huge a difference your office can make by stocking reusable pens instead!
Additionally, only keep refills for those same pens in the office. Not only will doing so create an incentive for everybody to use pens, but you will also find them to be cheaper in the long run.
As you put these measures into practice, you will find other ideas that can help transform your workspace into a greener one. You can go farther and create a sustainability committee of employees too.
Gain the interest of others by letting them see how much cost savings will be possible. Put together a program that rewards employees who conserve office supplies. Or, use that money to throw office parties for everybody. Should you manage to make the process transparent, and more people will take ownership of going green!
