How to Reduce Your Business’s Carbon Footprint
If you want to do your part to preserve the environment, going green in your business is a great step to take. Many of the biggest steps you can take are surprisingly affordable, too.
From paperless offices to how virtual assistant spaces and services can help, here are some of our top budget-friendly strategies.
1. Get rid of paper in your business
Let’s kick off this list with one of the most obvious eco-friendly choices: going paperless. Nowadays, virtually everything we need to conduct business is available online. Plus, no one wants to go to battle with the office printer again.
If you are going to use paper, make a company-wide effort to recycle and reuse paper as often as possible (printing in smaller fonts and printing on both sides also helps).
2. Allow remote working
Commuting is a major source of pollution, and commutes seem to be getting longer and longer every year. Public transportation and biking to work are wonderful alternatives, but many employees will always prefer to drive their own cars.
Working from home can also help the health of your employees. According to a 2017 study from Duke University, “in-car measurements of pollutants that cause oxidative stress found exposure levels for drivers to be twice as high as previously believed.” Yikes!
The idea of telecommuting might sound like a strange idea, but remote work actually has the potential to be more productive.
3. Run your business from a virtual office
The majority of traditional office spaces aren’t efficient — lights are on constantly, space that isn’t being used is heated and cooled, and every company purchases its own office equipment and supplies.
In contrast, virtual offices represent a far more eco-friendly way to maintain an office:
- Businesses from across industries share space under one roof, and everyone chooses the exact type of space they need (which means less waste).
- Fewer meeting and conference rooms are left sitting empty, because professionals from a variety of businesses rent them as the need arises.
- Members share tools like printers, scanners, fax machines, conference phones, and other office equipment, and less waste makes its way to landfills.
Clearly, joining a virtual office is an easy, affordable way to reduce the carbon footprint of your company. If you combine remote working with a virtual office, the benefits are even greater.
4. Foster a culture of sustainability in your company
As a business owner, you’re in a great position to have a positive influence over employees, vendors, and everyone you do business with. Going green in your business is great, but taking care of the planet requires everyone to do their part.
On the employee side, make sure everyone knows about things like initiatives to go paperless, and be sure to encourage continued dialogue about environmental sustainability. Another impactful option is to invite team members to volunteer for an environmental cause during working hours. With any luck, they’ll feel inspired to continue making a change!
