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Log InJoin HuffPost NEWSPOLITICSENTERTAINMENTLIFEPERSONALSHOPPINGVIDEO U.S. EditionOpen editions submenu × Business 7 SMART WAYS TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY By Nadia Griezans, Contributor Wellness & sustainable business writer Wellness & sustainable business writer 07/26/2017 08:14am EDT | Updated October 23, 2017 This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email. Meeting our environmental responsibilities - be it at a domestic or business level - is more pressing than ever. Landfills are full, and oceans are choking. A recent report revealed that Americans are throwing away 230 million tons of waste each year - more than any other nation in the world. That said, it’s not too late - we’ve still a window of time to turn things around for the better. Operating a green business is instrumental in creating and leading positive change. Notwithstanding the hugely positive impact on the environment, being green is also good for your bottom line. Adhering to the 3 Rs of Waste Hierarchy (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), and conserving resources can actually save your business money in the long-run. Advertisement So without further ado, here are my smart tips for businesses looking to take ownership of their environmental footprint: 1. Office Supplies In the U.S. alone, over four million disposable pens are thrown away every day. And that’s just pens. Your businesses can make changes by stocking the office with reusable pens - ones which simply have their inks refilled. The process of refilling makes it easier to keep track of pens, rather than losing them and simply replacing them. Plus they actually work out cheaper long-term. Additionally, consider appointing someone - another member of staff, or office manager - to oversee and keep track of the stationary cupboard. Be transparent by explaining to your team that the process isn’t to take everyone back to their school days, but to ‘green’ up the office. Eventually, people will start to realise the need to take ownership of their own environmental footprint and impact. Advertisement For a more accurate picture of how much your business throws out, you could conduct a waste review or audit. It’s important that you’re aware of what you can recycle as well: throwing just a small amount of unrecyclable material can cause the entire portion of recycled material to become contaminated and therefore end in a landfill fate. 2. Procurement One of the easiest ways to make your business more environmentally-friendly is to practice green procurement. Review your procurement policies when looking for suppliers and choose to source goods and services that have been produced sustainably and don’t require excessive packaging. Make sure your supplies don’t contain substances which are toxic and harmful to the environment, can be recycled/reused, and are made from renewable materials. Be inquisitive and curious when researching and speaking to suppliers as to where the good are coming from and how they will be presented when they get to you. Finding suppliers in your area is a good place to start with green procurement. Are there any local companies that can supply your business with what it needs? Rather than sourcing products online, ask around in your locale. Some smaller suppliers may not have a massive online presence but do business via word-of-mouth and be just as good at it. Additional tips: check if your suppliers offer a service where they take back packaging for reuse. In terms of logistics, find couriers who commit to carbon-neutral delivery methods. 3. Postage There’s no denying we’ve firmly entered into the digital era. Yet the use of paper in your business is inevitable - particularly if you’re sending out letters and direct mail which require envelopes. Make the easy switch to eco-friendly envelopes, and envelopes which are reusable. Reusable envelopes reduce costs on envelope spend and acquisition expenses by eliminating the need for a separate reply envelope in your mailings - they simply reverse. You save on operating costs, cut warehousing needs and reduce waste: benefits both you and your customers can appreciate. If your company deals in high volumes and is ordering 500k or more, or requires envelope printing, it’s important to procure from a company that can responsibly deliver on your request, by considering the impact a high-volume order can have on the environment. A small, but effective tip: by ensuring your mailing lists are up to date, you avoid sending out unnecessary letters, thus saving the paper, printing, and postage. 4. Web Hosting Running all the servers in the US is equivalent to running five nuclear power plants. That’s a lot of environmental damage! Servers have to run at all times, so is your company’s website causing a consistent drain on environmental resources? With green hosting, on the other hand, you can ensure that part of the energy comes from a renewable power source. Apart from being friendly to the environment, green web hosting is also affordable. The hosting company itself has already saved money by choosing to make its own energy. Thus, it passes the savings to its consumers, making green hosting a more affordable option than the traditional choice. For a similar cost, your company can help the environment while gaining the trust of your customers and keeping your business available online at all times. 5. Furniture Over 17 billion pounds of office furniture and equipment in the U.S. is sent to landfill every year. This waste - typically a result of necessary changes like moving, branch closures or refurbishing projects - poses a significant problem since the materials should not be going to landfill in the first place. For example, a typical desk chair is made of dozens of different materials and chemicals. Since most furniture and equipment is also made of wood, metal and plastic and has a long lifetime, the products can be effectively repurposed. These materials are also considered scarce resources and hazardous if not disposed of properly, meaning recycling or repurposing should be the first option. Ask yourself, ‘Does my office really need new furniture?’ Is there a way of updating or upcycling the older pieces? It's less expensive than buying new, and it’s better for the environment. 6. Energy More and more businesses are embracing renewable energy in a big way as they begin to feel the impacts of the climate crisis where it matters most: their bottom lines. Many are finding that there’s an awful lot of green to be made in a renewable energy-powered economy. Power your office with alternative energy which is generated from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, geothermal, hydropower and plant matter. As wind and solar energy achieve cost competitiveness with fossil fuels, addressing the climate crisis has become an economic imperative. Previously green energy incentives were only available to larger businesses, but now smaller businesses want in. Green electricity sales in the form of voluntary power purchase agreements grew by 4% in 2015, notes the National Energy Renewable Laboratory. Contracted green power sales from those deals grew by 13% in 2015, it adds, and now total 10.2 million megawatt hours demonstrating the thirst for green energy to be available to all. Whereas a traditional power purchase agreement, for example, might require a company to buy 100 megawatts and it would last 20 years, the contract now offered to the smaller businesses might be for 10 megawatts over 10 years. 7. Computers and Accessories There are a few ways you can recycle your businesses' old computers and computer accessories. First of all, when you buy a new replacement computer ask your vendor if they will take back (or even buy back) your old one. Companies like Dell and HP have asset recycling programs that do just this. It also pays to check with your local office supplies store to see what they offer in terms of e-waste recycling programs. Find more information on Computer Recycling in the U.S. You might even be able to bag a tax deduction by donating computers which are less than five years old and still in decent working condition to organizations that will refurbish them. Implement these smart tips to defend the planet and promote a safe, sustainable future. They might seem like small steps, but they go a long way to reduce your footprint on the environment, and makes a big impression to your customers and potential customers. Is it easy being green? These may seem like small, baby steps, but incremental changes go a long way in fighting the good fight on behalf of our planet. They are simple to implement, and can make a big impression on customers too. Maintaining momentum to provide the so-called ‘greener future’ can have far-reaching consequences, so it’s pivotal for businesses to assume responsibility and be held accountable in terms of global footprint and promoting a positive and sustainable future. NADIA GRIEZANS, CONTRIBUTOR Wellness & sustainable business writer Suggest a correction More: SustainabilityEnergyenergy efficiencywastesolar power TRENDING STEPHANIE GRISHAM REVEALS CHILLING REASON TRUMP ADMIRED PUTIN AWKWARD GLITCH SENDS LAURA INGRAHAM’S PRO-TRUMP MONOLOGUE SIDEWAYS WHY SOME PEOPLE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN COVID REP. MADISON CAWTHORN TELLS WHAT HE MISSES MOST AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT SITE KNOCKED OFF POWER GRID, GENERATORS ON, UKRAINE SAYS Newsletter Sign Up THE MORNING EMAIL Wake up to the day's most important news. Successfully Subscribed! Realness delivered to your inbox WHAT'S HOT ZELENSKYY SPEAKS OUT AFTER LEAKED UN EMAIL INSTRUCTS STAFF NOT TO SAY 'WAR' REP. LAUREN BOEBERT MYSTIFIES EVERYONE WITH BIZARRE ATTEMPTS TO INSULT BIDEN PEOPLE THINK THERE’S SOMETHING FAMILIAR ABOUT TED CRUZ’S AIRPLANES STORY ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST LEGENDARY SHIPWRECKS WAS JUST DISCOVERED IN ANTARCTICA MORE IN BUSINESS OIL WORKERS ON FOREIGN-FLAGGED SHIPS ARE AT THE MERCY OF CORPORATIONS BOYCOTT CALLS INTENSIFY FOR COMPANIES STILL OPEN FOR BUSINESS IN RUSSIA SHELL SAYS IT WILL STOP BUYING RUSSIAN OIL, NATURAL GAS U.S. ADDED 678,000 JOBS IN FEBRUARY AS OMICRON EASES REI WORKERS AT NEW YORK STORE VOTE TO UNIONIZE NEARLY TWO YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC, HOTEL WORKERS ARE STILL WAITING TO BE REHIRED ANOTHER STARBUCKS STORE JUST VOTED TO UNIONIZE RUSSIA MAY BE A ‘BIG GAS STATION,’ BUT IT’S ALSO A KEY SUPPLIER FOR CLEAN ENERGY RUSSIAN MILITARY ACTION IN UKRAINE CAUSES OIL PRICES TO SOAR BIDEN TAKES STEP TO CUT INTO CHINA'S ELECTRIC BATTERY DOMINANCE STARBUCKS TRIES TO DELAY UNION ELECTIONS BUT MISSES LEGAL DEADLINE BY 8 MINUTES A NEWSPAPER UNION CLASH COULD HAVE BIGGER IMPLICATIONS FOR WORKER RIGHTS IN BIDEN ERA STARBUCKS FIRED A BUNCH OF UNION LEADERS. WILL THE LAW PROTECT THEM? STARBUCKS FIRES UNION SUPPORTERS IN MEMPHIS BALLOTS GO OUT IN AMAZON WAREHOUSE UNION ELECTION STARBUCKS IS DESPERATELY TRYING TO SLOW A UNION CAMPAIGN THAT'S CAUGHT FIRE STOCKS FALL AS FACEBOOK PARENT COMPANY META PLUMMETS KEY INFLATION GAUGE UP 5.8% IN 2021, BIGGEST HIKE IN NEARLY 4 DECADES KING SOOPERS WORKERS END STRIKE IN COLORADO THIS COMPANY SPENT MORE THAN $1 MILLION ON UNION-BUSTING CONSULTANTS STOCKS CLIMB BACK AFTER STEEP SLIDE ON FED, UKRAINE JITTERS STARBUCKS DROPS VACCINE MANDATE AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING DECEMBER RETAIL SALES SLIDE 1.9% AMID SHORTAGES, OMICRON THOUSANDS OF GROCERY WORKERS GO ON STRIKE IN COLORADO BANK OF AMERICA SLASHES FEES FOR ACCOUNT OVERDRAFTS AMAZON WAREHOUSE WILL HAVE DO-OVER UNION ELECTION AFTER COMPANY BROKE LAW THESE GROCERY WORKERS ARE FED UP AND READY TO STRIKE STARBUCKS WORKERS WIN SECOND UNION ELECTION IN BUFFALO AREA HOLIDAY SALES RISE DESPITE SUPPLY ISSUES AND OMICRON KELLOGG’S WORKERS END STRIKE STARBUCKS PROMISES TO BARGAIN WITH NEW EMPLOYEE UNION MODERNA SAYS ITS COVID-19 BOOSTER PROTECTS AGAINST OMICRON LOW-PROFILE RANSOMWARE ATTACKS CONTINUE AS HIGH-PROFILE CASES SLOW KELLOGG’S STRIKES TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH STRIKING WORKERS KELLOGG'S THREATENED TO REPLACE STRIKERS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL WORK. UPS PAYS $1 MILLION TO SETTLE WAGE THEFT ALLEGATIONS OVER CHARITABLE DEDUCTIONS STARBUCKS WORKERS JUST UNIONIZED. NOW THE REAL FIGHT BEGINS. STARBUCKS WORKERS WIN LANDMARK UNION ELECTION IN BUFFALO KELLOGG’S WORKERS REJECT TENTATIVE DEAL, CHOOSE TO STAY ON STRIKE STARBUCKS WORKERS HOPE TO FORM THE CHAIN’S FIRST U.S. UNION IN BUFFALO NEWSPOLITICSENTERTAINMENTLIFECOMMUNITIESHUFFPOST PERSONALVIDEONEWSLETTERS HuffPostAbout UsAdvertiseContact UsRSSFAQCareersArchiveUser AgreementComment PolicyHuffPost Press RoomPrivacy PolicyDMCA PolicyConsent Preferences Part of HuffPost Business. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The Huffington Post