Thinking green is the way forward for many small businesses. Not only is it important for business owners to do their bit for the environment, but customers now expect you to be considering the environment through day-to-day business practices. In this post, we look at how to make your small business green. And how you can stand out from the crowd by doing so.
TIP: Want to understand how much of a carbon footprint your business does leave? Then Carbon Neutral’s carbon calculator can take you through those steps.
Work From Home in Your Small Business and Go Green
Working from home is not only convenient for many business owners but also helps to reduce their carbon footprint!
By working from home, you’re completely eliminating carbon emissions generated during a commute to work. Plus, by using virtual services such as virtual receptionists and virtual appointment setters, you can still take advantage of front-office staff without asking them to commute to your office and having desk space for them.
Can’t commit to working from home full time? Then why not do it part-time and use a hotdesking space the remainder of the week. At SOI, we have a number of clients do this and also take advantage of the meeting room spaces available to meet with clients and suppliers in a professional setting.
What’s more, if you’re the type of business who needs admin support services, most of this can be done remotely. By working with a virtual team, you can help to reduce the carbon footprints of your staff as well.
Run a Paperless Small Business to Put Your Green Foot Forward
Go paperless. You’ll never go back once you do. With so much business conducted over email these days and project management software (such as Dubsado and 17hats) you can send contracts, invoices, and communicate all through one easy portal. Then when it comes to filling why not utilise Google Docs or Dropbox. Who needs to print anything again? Say goodbye to paper chaos and clutter for good.
If you do need to print (and no doubt it will happen on occasion) make sure you are using environmentally friendly paper.
Review The Basics of Your Small Business
When it comes to your office or home office don’t forget the little things:
- Light globes: make the switch to LED or other energy saving light bulbs.
- Cleaning products: make sure they are environmentally friendly brands and biodegradable.
- Turn everything off at the end of the day: ensure all computers and monitors are turned off at the end of the day. Also ensure lights are also turned off and are kept off in rooms that aren’t used regularly such as file rooms, meeting rooms, etc.
- Review your heating and cooling: did you know that adjusting your heating or cooling thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees can make a big difference to the environment (and your bill)?
- Recycle: encourage employees to recycle; particularly when it comes to food and drink containers. If they prefer to frequent cafes rather than bring food from home then encourage employees to visit cafes that utilise biodegradable containers rather than plastic, etc
- Water: rather than having employees purchase plastic disposable bottles of water, why not supply cups and a refillable water dispenser – or have a water filtration tap installed. You could even supply eco-friendly promotional water bottles. A company water bottle is something employees can utilise at the gym or when out and about too so it’s a great marketing tool.
Make A Stand and Go Green in Your Small Business Today
It’s never too late to start! If it feels a little overwhelming, start small and go from there. If you would like to discuss how SOI’s serviced office and virtual office services can help your small business go green. Contact us now!
