6 Ways to Go Green for Your Business

Going green isn’t just a trendy buzzword. For many, the phrase has become a lifestyle, and it’s spilling over into the businesses of eco-conscious entrepreneurs. 

Most office-based businesses offer a wealth of opportunities to go greener. Let’s look at some of the lowest hanging fruit to help shrink your business’s environmental footprint without much effort.

Rethink Your Lighting Scheme

Toning down your lighting or using natural light can help you create a greener environment. If you don’t have a lot of natural light in your office, make sure you’re powering down when you leave for the day to save on electricity overnight.

Skip the Disposables

If you offer a coffee bar, water cooler, or break room, it’s a good idea to switch out disposable items for reusable ones. Or even better, have your employees bring their own utensils and cups to the office and take them home each day. This can cut down on the amount of water used in the office while also reducing the waste associated with disposable items.

Bring in the Outdoors

You can turn your workplace green in a literal sense too! Bring in a few potted plants that can contribute to an oxygen-rich environment. This helps keep the air feeling and smelling fresh. What’s more, office plants have shown to spur productivity, creativity, and relaxation.

Go Paperless

It might not be possible to eliminate paper altogether, but avoid any unnecessary printing to reduce your paper consumption. This could mean switching to e-signatures for documents or sharing PDF files instead of printing. Many hiring and onboarding processes have also gone paperless, with important employee information being stored in the cloud.

Share Resources

Offices need a lot of equipment, from printers and fax machines to scanners and more. When possible, consider purchasing equipment to share between all employees rather than invest in items for each individual. It’s a lot less expensive, plus it means fewer items will need to be replaced at the end of their life.

This also means sharing utility resources like lighting, air conditioning, and the internet. Having multiple businesses working under the same roof can be less straining on the environment versus having to light and cool multiple office spaces throughout the town.

Look for Green Alternatives

Many simple office supplies come in greener alternatives, such as staple-less staplers and folders made from recycled content. Making the switch to green options can save items from going into the landfill and give them new life. 

How Office Evolution Makes it Easy to Go Green at Work

At Office Evolution, we support green thinking in the office environment. Our sharing model helps entrepreneurs purchase less for their business without sacrificing essential things like printers, scanners, or ergonomic furniture. This is the foundation of the shared workspace concept and can minimize overhead costs for small business owners and contribute to a greener work environment for all.

Find the Office Evolution location nearest you and learn more about how we’re helping small businesses think green.