Ask Dupont? Ford? Or do it yourself? Thankfully enough information about sustainability is available to those who seek it. This article is a small compilation of things you can do to make your business more green. The pursuit of green is its own reward, however, businesses undertaking the greening process usually find that they save money and may even turn out a better after greening has been achieved. The accidental beneficial effects of going green or the serendipity of green will be discussed in another post.
Perhaps your company is not as big as Dupont or Ford, but if they can go from many million pounds of trash to zero waste, then we all should be able to. And lets have fun in the process, for me the idea of zero waste is exciting, just think no more trash! Now, instead of trash what you are handling are opportunities to green. Before I list some ways to green, here is a stat from Greenpeace: 4,000 tons of e-waste are created in the world every hour.
If General Mills products are generally satisfying, now however, their waste stream is even more satisfying to the shareholders, as they cleanly burn it to power generators. Dupont duplicated this by making landscaping stones and other products from their waste. In both case, not only did they save money by avoiding transport and fees, they made money from the sale of their recycled waste! The takeaway here for small biz is to be creative and figure out a way to compost what’s in your dumpster and turn the rest into recycling for whatever small change you can get for it!
Green Opportunities Everywhere
Back to the 4,000 tons of e-waste stat; if that is not an insatiable appetite for technology I don’t know what is. Thankfully many large manufacturers of electronics have take back programs. E-waste is laden with toxins and precious metal. Often it can even be reused as a donation or for parts. In any case, how about your biz? If you make things or sell things, perhaps you could offer a new form of after the sale service which would mean making your customers aware of how they should recycle or reuse your stuff when they are done with it and if possible even help them do it. So you made the sale and now you have an opportunity to continue interacting with the customer for a greater period of time which should bring you more biz!
Anything to do with music and going green is always a positive note. Concert goers at the Austin City Limits Music Festival not only enjoyed the music, they did it without polluting because the promoter did a complete makeover in green down to every detail including cups and hand soap.
Right now stop and take a long look around your work space; do you consume materials that are not green? Look at your biz more organically and make the green changes as soon as possible.
Who is your favorite sports team? Are they as green as their uniforms? The NFL franchise from Philadelphia has undertaken greening its business. Perhaps you can start an online petition at change.org to help your favorite sports team go green.
Never Stop Greening
If you are a product producing company then there may be an opportunity to redesign the product so less packaging is used. Also the source of your supply materials could be scrutinized for greenness. If your process ingredients are green then there is a good chance your product will be to.
Is your biz growing so fast you need a new building? Lease one that is green, buy one that is green or design and make one that is! Got solar power? thats green. Does your cleaning service use green supplies? Everywhere we look there seems to be opportunity to be green, greener or the greenest. Be green or die. Green is smart, healthy and may even pay more. Walmart gives the best shelf space to its greenest vendors so let that inspire you.
Telecommuting is a popular way to be green. Telecommuting metrics add up. Save on gas, time, stress, wear and tear and increase your productivity at the same time. Companies save on real estate costs and carbon emissions. Find opportunities to telecommuting and your business will be more green. As long as we are on the subject some companies will even help employees pay for a green hybrid car with as much or more than 10% of the purchase price. Do you a fleet of vehicle that is not green? The SBA could perhaps help you with “get greener” financing. If you need an electronics recycling company, you may contact:
www.EwasteWiz.com