How to become a green business? Whether you are striving for best practices or want to make it official with green business certification, this article will help small business owners proceed with wise choices…

5 Steps To Make Your Small Business A Green Business

As a small business owner, there is no doubt that you are constantly on the lookout for ways to cut back on expenses without any sacrifice to your business, its products, and services. It becomes a delicate balance of investing the money needed for your business to thrive and grow, yet knowing when to rein-in spending when necessary.

A green business model can really prove beneficial to small businesses. Not only is it a fabulous way to save on costs, but this can create a positive brand-image to employees and customers.

Today’s consumers have become much more savvy and aware of who they choose to do business with. They are looking for companies that are truly giving back and aren’t just in it for numero uno.

So, could your small business become a green business? Let’s take a closer look at five smart steps to take.

1. Go Paperless

A great place to start is by going paperless and using digital record-keeping. Switching to a paperless office may seem like a large undertaking but, it will save money and decrease strain on energy resources for the long-term.

This is a tip that Utility Bidder, a business utilities broker, discusses highlighting green initiatives for businesses. As the blog points out, going digital will decrease paper consumption, and also ensure your business is communicating in the most modern way.

2. Reduce Energy Usage

When you think about cutting back on energy usage, this alone is better for the environment. This will indeed reduce your expenditures. But did you know you can also switch energy providers to achieve this goal?

There is a chance that other providers could offer more competitive rates using new technologies. In turn, you could save up to thousands per year. A real win – Especially considering you also reduce consumption.

3. Offer The Option To Telecommute

Consider creating a telecommute-friendly environment for your employees. This will allow team to work from home at least part of the time, which means:

  • Less bodies in the office
  • Less energy and resources being used on-site
  • Less gas usage by your staff from their commutes

Bonus: You’ll likely do okay with a smaller office space.

4. Use Energy-Star Rated Computers

All computer equipment in the office can be changed over to energy-star rated pieces. Again, this will cut back significantly on the energy being used, yet employees won’t need to make any sacrifices.

Some operations can take this one step further and ask that all team members turn off their computers at the end of their work day.

The result? Less wasted energy and lower utility bills.

5. Install LED Lights

Installing LED lights in every light fixture in the office equates to huge energy savings. Plus these bulbs last much longer than traditional compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

If you have a lot of common spaces such as:

  • Hallways
  • Break rooms
  • Meeting rooms

You can also install motion detectors so the lights will automatically turn off if no one is in the room.

Green Business Is The Way Of The Future

With so much attention on the environment, companies of all sizes are now looking for ways to “go green,” and lead the way with green business ideas toward impactful changes. Yours can be a part of this trend!