Save the Planet From Your Office

There has been SO MUCH talk in the last few weeks about climate change and going green. More and more people are becoming conscious of the importance of sustainability and becoming eco-friendly. Some people have become super conscious of it! See 4 years of trash in a mason jar. A lot of businesses owners are learning that going green is even good for business. So, how can a company Go Green?

Maybe you can’t be committed to the point of a mason jar of trash for your office, but what other ways could your company go green? And how could going green benefit companies?

Let’s talk about how going green could be good for your business!

1. Hold video meetings

How does that make a difference? Well, how much do you drive just to meet a client for a half hour to hour long meeting? You can save fossil fuels and time in the same go!

2. Plan your days to drive less

This one ties into the one before AND you’ve probably heard it a thousand times by now. But driving less makes a big difference.

3. Sign online

How much paper and ink would you save if you didn’t have to print every time you needed a client to sign off? There are a lot of apps that can help with this! It’s also really helpful to have your paperwork on your laptop or smart phone if you regularly leave the office.

4. Work from PDFs

Again, there are so many programs that you can use to fill out forms without printing them off. Let’s be honest, how often do you actually need a paper copy? It’s an adjustment, but it’s worth it. Could you imagine how much easier things would be if you didn’t have to fight with your printer, wait to get home to use your printer, or dealing running out of ink?

5. Research your printer

Tying into the last point on printing, research how often you’ll have to replace your printer ink and how much it’ll cost before you buy a printer. I’m sure most of us have ended up in the situation where it costs just a few bucks more to buy a brand new printer that comes with ink than it is to buy new ink for your printer. How ridiculous is that?
Another option is re-using your ink cartridges. I’ve saved a lot of money doing that and the only draw-back is that you have to go to the store twice – once to drop them off and another to pick up. If you don’t print that much, why not just get what you need printed done at a store?

6. Get your computer fixed

How much more common is it to look at a new laptop once yours is over 2 years old and causing problems, than it is to just buy a new one? It might not make sense for your to fix yours and you really do need to buy a new one, but it’s still worth mentioning!

7. Avoid brochures

When you get a brochure from someone, how often do you actually keep it? Most of us look it over and then it either goes straight to the trash or in a junk drawer until you don’t feel bad about trashing it. Chances are, that’s what’s happening to the brochures you’re handing out too – no matter how beautiful they are. The alternative is emailing your brochure as a PDF.

8. Recycle

One cannot make a blog post about going green without mentioning recycling! But it should be one of the lowest items on your list. 91% OF WHAT YOU RECYCLE WILL END UP IN THE LANDFILL. Yes… out of all that effort you put in, only 9% of what you recycle will actually make a difference. Instead of recycling, talk about being conscious with how much waste your office produces.

9. Print on recycled paper

If you HAVE to print, print on recycled paper. It doesn’t cost much more than brand new paper!

10. Take pictures of business cards

I’ve accepted about 5 business cards in the last 6 months. Chances are, if you accept them, they’ll end up in a pile somewhere. Are you really going to search through the pile to find that business card from the graphic designer you had a quick chat with at a networking meeting? Probably not. BUT if you upload a photo of the business card into an app, all you have to do is search “Graphic Designer”. You can even add specific info on that person so you know you’re referring the right type of client. It’s a WIN-WIN-WIN!

11. Watch your gifts

Giving gifts like pens, notebooks, and little gadgets to a client or at an event can be a really nice thought. But, if someone gave you a little notebook with their company name all over it, would you consider it junk? Now, this can go either way. I’ve definitely gone back to the same office to renew my auto-insurance because they give out really nice pens. Most of the time, the other stuff is going straight into the garbage. And that’s not great for the environment or your marketing budget. Maybe it’s worth investing in some better swag and being more choosey with who you give it too!

Have more ideas on going green at the office? Add them in the comments! Let’s make this as interactive and helpful as possible ☕