Green Business can help your company reduce expenses

Going green can do more for your company than just improve your public image. Green business practices also make financial sense. While your focus may be mostly on the bottom line, as far as everyone else is concerned, you’re just trying to do your part to help the environment. Being ecologically conscious is good for the economy and for the Earth.

The fastest way to reduce the amount of trash and waste you have is to reduce what you start with. Go through your entire operation and carefully assess what is being wasted. If there is scrap left over, then money is being wasted. Check and see if you can save money and emissions on your shipping practices by adjusting schedules or routes. Take a look around your office and start thinking about how much paper you really need.

Waste or loose paper should be a thing of the past. Fax machines and photocopiers jam up often enough to produce a large amount of wrinkled paper that can be cut up and used for phone messages. Both sides of a sheet of paper should be used. When all is said and done, the paper should end up in the recycling bin, not the bin.

Many companies are making the move to paperless billing and invoicing. Not only does it create a lot of waste, but it also costs a lot of money to produce. If you’re not comfortable jumping in with both feet, you can test the water first by first offering it as an option to existing customers, clients, or vendors. Then gradually switch to paperless billing as standard. While people can still request paper, they will incur additional fees for it.

Wouldn’t you like to reduce the cost of business travel? By reducing the amount of business travel, you not only save money, but also reduce the emissions your business generates. If traveling to attend meetings is a common occurrence between two offices, look into web conferencing. You may have to pay a small fee to set it up, but it will be less than the cost of paying people to get from one place to another.

Maintaining office space becomes expensive. The less office space you use, the less money it will cost you. By shifting some of your staff’s jobs to be available for flexible hours, or simply telecommuting, you can quickly reduce the amount of space you need for your office. You can also arrange for people to work in shifts so that the office space is shared between people. Not only will it reduce energy consumption within the office, but people won’t be driving their cars to work every day. With one quick move, you can improve your public image, boost employee morale, help the environment, and save money.

Recycling bins should be clearly marked and easy to find throughout the building. Before you throw anything away, make sure it doesn’t belong in the recycle bin instead of the trash can. Several cities and communities have instituted heavy fines for not recycling.

The availability of tax breaks and grants for companies that want to implement environmentally friendly changes is growing at an alarming rate. Green business is the way of the future. It pays to do the right thing.