Global warming and pollution pose significant threats to the health of the planet. However, without action from businesses, it is doubtful that the tide will be turned against these threats. Even if your business is small, there are still things you can do to make your company more environmentally friendly.
1. Aim for a Paperless Office
The biggest users of paper in the world are business office workspaces. However, with the advent of computer technology, this should no longer be the case. Everything you do on paper in an office can now be done digitally. Memos can be circulated as e-mails, paychecks can be deposited directly into savings accounts, presentations can be performed with digital slide shows and reports can be distributed as Word documents. If you’re afraid of losing files, back them up in the cloud for safe keeping.
2. Implement a Recycling Pick-Up Service
However, still, most offices and companies with manufacturing arms tend to produce a lot of waste. If this waste is composed of paper, plastic, glass or other recyclables, you should do your part and obtain routine recycling pick-up. Companies like Tri-State Disposal, for example, perform recycling pick-up and industrial waste management in the Chicago area for large companies. Having your waste recycled instead of disposed of in a landfill can greatly decrease your overall impact on the environment.
3. Slash Traveling
A lot of businesses spend millions flying employees around the world to only have them attend pointless seminars and team building exercises in exotic locales. If you want to have your employees spend time with each other outside the office for the purpose of training or team building, choose options that are closer to where your offices are actually located. That way you’ll be giving back to the local community without contributing to jet fuel polluting the air by forcing your employees to travel across the country.
4. Donate Back to the Environment
If your company makes a healthy profit, you should invest a portion of those funds into charities that help preserve endangered species and ecosystems. You should also take direct action yourself. If constructing a new factory requires removing a certain number of trees, spend some money to plant three times those trees in the surrounding area.
Overall, protecting the environment is very important. If the environment isn’t preserved, there isn’t much point in running a profitable company if the rest of the world is ruined in the meantime. Do what you can to make your company greener so you have less of a negative impact.