Computers and other electronic devices are just as critical to your business as lights and telephones. Your office could not function without them, but they do have a downside. They require electricity, and can be a substantial contributor to your power bills. Limiting your and your employees’ use of computers and technologies is out of the question if you want a viable business, but you can cut your carbon footprint – and some of your bills – with some other strategies.
Help Your Employees to Conserve
Few employees are naturally mindful of the environment and your bills when they are in the workplace. It is not necessarily because they do not care; it can also be because it does not occur to them that their actions at work have an impact. Some employees might fall into the mindset of the workplace as a large institution that is not affected by individuals, and it is your job to remind them otherwise so that you can save money and reduce your carbon footprint. Here are some almost painless ways you can remind employees to conserve:
- Turn off all computers and lights when not in use and each afternoon when leaving for the evening.
- Keep the thermostat to a reasonable setting so that employees are not shivering during the summer and sweating in winter. Many business overheat their offices in winter and cool them too much in summer, leading to serious bills and a lot of waste.
- Depending on your industry, consider implementing a uniform policy so that your company can do a single laundry instead of having each employee do a smaller, more wasteful, load using harmful detergents and fabric softeners.
Use a Pay-as-You-Use Office Space
If you have a smaller business and this solution is practical, investigate whether you can rent office space that is already equipped with the services you need, like a high-speed wireless Internet connection, building maintenance, and a receptionist who can help manage your meetings and receive incoming calls. You can often rent office space on a short-term contract for as little as one month or a few months, so that you do not need to pay the often prohibitive initial fees of installing your own Internet and telephone systems and moving all of your equipment. This environmentally friendly solution allows you to avoid the emissions associated with transporting your belongings when you move
Regardless of how you decide to be green and save green, just start the process. Even by simply monitoring your thermostat better you're making a commitment to be better about expenses and better about the environment everyday.
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