Most business owners and managers who have their eyes on the prize are well aware reducing the environmental impact of their business is one of the best things they can do.
Business owners can respond flexibly to the demands of the changing planet. New environmental laws are passed all the time that restrict business impacts on the environment.
To adapt to the demands of this century, smart business people foresee changes in legislation and moderate their business models accordingly.
Of course, it isn’t all doom and gloom. There are lots of ways to reduce your business’s environmental impacts that can save money right now.
Here are some of the best ways to increase your environmental impact — and increase your profits.
Go Paperless
The impact of paper use on deforestation is astonishing. Deforestation should be a huge concern of any future-minded business person; forests provide a natural and cheap resource to reduce the CO2 in our environment. It is worth noting that most of our medicines have our origins in forests, those incredible life-givers.
Not only do you preserve natural resources, but you also save money when you go paperless. Paper is an expensive outlay, as are printer cartridges. Doing everything on the monitors your staff already use decreases your expenses, and helps the planet.
Use Solar Energy
Using solar energy obviously stops you using more harmful energies like coal and gas, for the benefit of our environment.
However, solar energy can also save a business money, and lots of it. The government subsidizes the installation of solar panels for most commercial properties.
Business owners then find themselves in a wonderful position. Not only do they have to pay less for energy, as they have their own conductor on site to provide the energy needs of their business during the day, but they generate a passive income!
That’s right; any excess energy your panels produce that you don’t use goes back into the grid — and you get paid for it.
Recycle
Recycling can help your business grow an awareness of what resources you are using and where, and how to cut down on them.
Increasing awareness about waste can help a business streamline their expenses and become more efficient, ultimately using less resources and saving money.
Reducing the amount of waste you send to landfill can bring your large savings when its time to send a report to the taxman. There are tax relief schemes for environmentally conscious businesses.
Today, most consumers care more about a low environmental impact than ever before. A business who is shown to be using green initiatives can win over more customers — and retain them. If you’re looking to improve on your businesses recycling capabilities, look to use a waste management company.
Change your lighting
Not only are LED bulbs better for the planet than halogen bulbs, they also save you money. LED bulbs use 10% less energy, which is a whopping reduction when it comes to energy expenses.
Even better, LED lights only need to be replaced roughly every ten years, which means the initial expense is more than offset by the reduced cost of less-frequent bulb replacements.
Encourage Your Employees to Get on Their Bike
A subsidized cycle-to-work scheme is a great way to decrease your environmental impact while increasing cashflow for business investments.
Sick days cost businesses approximately $32 billion a year. And healthier employees equate to fewer sick days which means higher profits for your business.
Employees will enjoy the benefits of increased energy and an improved mood resulting from the free exercise that comes from cycling. Offering a subsidized bike will further increase employee satisfaction.
By avoiding CO2-heavy modes of transportation, the overall environmental impact of your business will be reduced, for the betterment of your business, your staff, and their wallets.
Photo Credit: stock photo
Re small business going paperless, that’s picayune. Look here:
http://brgov.com/dept/recycle/catalogs.htm
Fifty-three million trees cut down for catalog paper each year.
Yikes.