Ever since the industrial revolution we’ve been trying our hardest to destroy the planet. As you can see from the impending global warming epidemic it looks like we’ve nearly succeeded! Manufacturing has unfortunately played a big part in the downfall of our planet.
Not all businesses have the same effect on the environment. Offices are a lot less toxic, yet they could play a part in helping the environment. Would you make the necessary changes if you were saving money while helping the environment at the same time? If so, let’s look at a few ways you can do it.
- Start Using Cloud Software
This is perhaps the biggest one to appear over the last few years. It’s being embraced by businesses all around the world. It will easily reduce the amount of money you spend on paper each year.
Think about how many trees you’ll personally save from getting chopped down over the lifetime of your company. The cloud is so advanced these days it’s also easy to collaborate with multiple people.
- Refill Your Printer Cartridges
Printer cartridges are one of those things every office will go through very quickly. Once they’re done you don’t want to throw them away. You’ll save a tremendous amount of money each year if you refill the cartridges.
What do you think is going to happen when a cartridge is thrown away as waste? The worst thing isn’t the fact they’re made of plastic. All the ink and toner is going to seep into the ground and pollute the soil.
- Install Low-E Window Film
If you want your employees to stay productive you’ve got to make sure they’re always comfortable. That means when it’s cold you’ll have to turn the heating up. When it’s hot the opposite is true and the air conditioning will work harder.
A quick way to limit the amount you have to turn your appliances up is by attaching low-E film to your windows, which will reflect the sun away more than normal glass. It will pay for itself in no time and it’s cheaper than replacing the windows.
- Switch Your Cleaning Supplies
When the cleaners come in at night they’ll probably do a good job making sure the office is spotless. The only problem is the chemicals in the products they use, but you can switch all with eco-friendly cleaning supplies.
At this stage you might be wondering how you’re going to save money, because there isn’t a great difference in the price. According to research chemicals in cleaning products aren’t healthy, so your employees will probably get sick less often.
- Get Eco-Friendly Carpet Tiles
There will come a time when you refurbish your office and it will involve getting rid of your carpets. You should seriously consider replacing them with an eco-friendly carpet, which does actually exist even though they’re uncommon.
If you’re really smart you will use carpet tiles as opposed to a traditional carpet. Not only will they be better for the environment, but you’ll not need to rip up the entire thing when it’s damaged. You will only need to replace a tile or two.
- Buy New Office Furniture
Once you’ve gone to the trouble of replacing your carpet it’s possible you’ll want to buy new office furniture too. Don’t go down the traditional route like most businesses take when you can get refurbished desks and chairs.
You’ve got to remember even though it’s recycled it’s certainly not junk. People go through a lot of trouble to refurbish the furniture, so your employees won’t even notice and you’ll pay much less for it.
- Change Light Bulbs
Light bulbs wouldn’t normally waste so much energy, but in an office you’ll have lots of them. They’ll also be on for the majority of the day, so swap your current ones for compact fluorescent light bulbs.Although they’re a little more expensive to buy they’ll last up to ten times longer. You’ll save money on bulbs plus the work hours it will take to replace them. They’re 75 percent more energy efficient too.
Make Some of These Changes Now
You don’t have to go through this entire list right now, but try changing a few things soon. You’ll begin to think a lot greener and eventually spot other ways you can save the environment. We’ve only covered a few things today, but there are hundreds of different ways to become greener.
