Businesses feel pressured to avoid pollution and often their competitors already have programs in order to label themselves ‘green’ and ‘sustainable.’ From a business point of view, being environmentally friendly is an important public relations move. It can also increases the efficiency of a business, as recycling paper and metal can generate a small cash flow.
Avoiding Pollution By Playing Smart
Garbage leaving an office is pollution to an environmentalist. To a capitalist, it represents a materials cost and a cleanup challenge. Both parties can shake hands on the issue of conserving materials by not using them. Preferring computers to paper documents is obvious, but it takes extra measures to deter employees from printing out reports. Distributing tablets or netbooks reduces the need to print while potentially increasing productivity.
Invest in a Baler
Some third party companies are prepared to buy properly baled plastic and cardboard. If a business runs through many cartons or recyclable garbage a year, then it can pay to invest in at least a small baler. They come in different sizes, but all work by crunching down materials of a specific type into a compact shape that can be bound with wire. This is a convenient way of dealing with paper and plastic and earns some cash back.
Buy Cheap Cleaning Products in Bulk
Most offices need their windows cleaned and their floors mopped and every other surface sanitized. It is not necessary to invest in a fancy chemical station, because gallon bottles of oxidizing or dissolving substances can be poured without fear of toxic fumes. Many products now exist, but some of the best are still based on hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and alcohol. A little knowledge of chemistry can save money and liability.
Take Advantage of Drive Up Recycling Services
Most large cities have companies that will arrive at any office with what amounts to a hauling truck with a large shredder attached. These companies do not require balers and offer to destroy documents or take metals away as they are. They either offer this service for free or else pay to recover the materials. In any place with a commercial dumping fee, this saves money as well as provides free green points.
Share Your Parking Lot With a Tree
Many businesses will reserve a strip for turf and a small tree. The tree prevents offices from being a blight on a city, and trees are famous as an environmental symbol. Plants indoors makes the work space more attractive and less oppressive. Plants can reduce cooling costs in summer. The psychological benefits stack with showing off a green thumb.
The point is that being environmentally friendly does not have to be painful or expensive for a business. Being green typically goes hand in hand with increasing efficiency, and smart business owners will advertise what they might already be doing. Research into green methods might actually provide ideas for generating revenue.