Sustainability is much more than just a buzzword; it is a powerful mindset that is here to stay. Recent studies have shown that the majority of consumers are actively seeking out businesses that are prioritizing sustainability. When it comes to making your business more environmentally friendly, it is easy to assume that you will have to spend time and investment, but in reality, this is very far from the truth. You can take steps to make your organization more environmentally friendly while also saving money. The doctrine of the modern age will be that the mark of a good, profitable business is one that is sustainable.
Switch To LED Light Bulbs
One of the easiest ways to make your business more environmentally friendly is to switch to using LED light bulbs. Studies have found that LED light bulbs are, on average, 80% more energy efficient than your conventional light bulbs. This is because LED light bulbs produce far less waste heat than standard light bulbs.
Not only are LED light bulbs more energy-efficient than conventional light bulbs, but they also tend to last much longer too. This means that you will need to spend less money on both bulbs and electricity.
Go Paperless
Going paperless is a fantastic way to reduce the environmental footprint of your organization. For the majority of businesses, going paperless will require a slight change in routine, but nothing that will have an impact on your operations. For example, you will just need to encourage your employees to send over documents via emails rather than printing out information before a meeting.
While it may not seem like it would have a big impact, going paperless can have a real effect over time.
Evaporative Coolers
As any good physics student knows, the specific heat capacity of water is 4184 J⋅kg−1⋅K−1. How does that help to make a business more environmentally friendly? Well, by harnessing the power of water to absorb heat, you can cool your business the same way that humans cool down from sweat through water evaporating. With the onset of electricity, humans realized that they could cool things down by using refrigeration technology, which consumes a fairly large amount of electricity and energy. However, detailed studying of physics demonstrated that this was largely a waste, a powerful cooling effect can be done with far less energy. You can take advantage of this with your own business by using portable evaporative coolers instead of other technology to cool down anything that needs cooling without having to use refrigerate technology.
Improve Your Waste Habits
Another simple but effective way to reduce the environmental impact of your organization is to improve the way that you deal with waste. This can look very different from organization to organization. For example, if you are mostly office-based, improving waste management might entail more recycling bins. However, if you manufacture your own products, you might want to conduct a thorough review of the way that you use materials. You might find that you are frequently incurring a large amount of waste in one specifical material, which can prompt a review of your specific processes.