Reducing the environmental impact is a big precedence for many businesses across the United States, according to Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Major automakers are working to use renewable energy—for example, General Motors has committed to use 100% renewable energy by 2050.
If your business is looking to shift to more sustainable practices, there are some great ways to go “green” that are easy to implement, while others may require more actionable steps but will result in significantly less environmental impact for your business. Learn more about five ways to reduce your business’ carbon footprint.
1. Change to sustainable energy solutions.
Instead of relying on electricity, you can plan to install sustainable energy solutions, such as solar panels that will harness the sun’s energy and power your business building. If you aren’t ready for that, you can even think about using automatic request response services, which help you make better use of your energy and adjust usage levels for you. Automatic request response using three steps:
- Sensor installation
- Data analysis
- Events occur
Responding to requests can provide significant benefits to your business and can help reduce your organization’s energy usage.
2. Take advantage of biodiesel fuel for your business operations when needed.
In our country, many restaurants use cooking oil and when it is finished, it only turns into residual waste which can ultimately damage the environment or clog waterways. However, companies are emerging that can take those oils and fats and turn them into biodiesel fuel. Businesses using this oil can practice biodiesel recycling in Portland, OR so that places like Oregon Oils can turn it into biodiesel fuel for other companies to use. This renewable fuel can save you money and also help reduce pollution in the US environment.
3. Set up a recycling program within your organization.
Within your organization, you likely use plenty of paper and other recyclables. Instead of throwing it away and letting it fill up landfills, consider creating an internal recycling program and inspiring employees to take part. You might even consider setting up an incentive program so they feel more likely to be part of the change.
You can go one step further and examine going paperless by using Google Docs or other collaboration software so your employees do not feel like printing documents. Your electronic waste, such as old computers, cell phones, tablets and more, can even be recycled rather than being thrown in the trash.
4. Consider letting employees work at home.
When your employees are allowed to work at home, they travel less and finally contribute less to overall pollution with emissions from their vehicles. Your building also uses more energy, particularly with your HVAC system, when more employees are touring and working, emitting more body heat and using more electronics. If they work remotely, then you will not be using as much energy. As an added bonus, working remotely can help boost employee morale and increase engagement rates.
5. Use data centers that follow eco-friendly practices.
Many data centers consume energy, so you should try to use one that follows green practices. Storing your data is important to your organization, and where you store your data should be a very important choice as well. Green website hosting also helps reduce the carbon footprint of your company’s website. Be sure to check each data center or storage facility you use to make sure they follow other best practices as well for secure data storage.
