10 things you can do to make your business more sustainable

by Bob Huffman

April 30th, 2008 in Business, Environment, Tips

1. Printing Less Stuff = Using Less Paper. Paper makes up about 35% of our waste stream - even though it’s one of the easiest materials to re-use and recycle! First of all, organize your inbox to make e-mails easier to find and reference. You can encourage others not to print your e-mails as well. Make back-up copies of important files and e-mails and keep them on an external drive. When you do need to print important documents, make sure you use a sustainable paper, and set your printer or copier to print on both sides of the page.

2. Go Digital with Your Documents. A great way to reduce paper use and get contracts and documents signed more quickly is to use electronic signatures. Adobe Acrobat Professional allows you to sign PDF files digitally, as well as create PDF documents with signature fields for clients to sign. Or you could use software such as DocuSign or e-signature to securely sign documents and get signatures from clients and vendors.

3. Pull that Plug. You aren’t working all hours of the night (at least I hope not), so why does your computer need to be on? Turn off everything you possibly can before you leave the office each day.

4. Get Waste-Wise. Place paper recycling bins in convenient locations all over the office, like right next to copiers and mail boxes. Everywhere there is a trash can, there should be a recycling bin.

5. Work With Like-Minded Companies. Chances are, there are businesses in your area that are also going green or certified green. Network with them and use their services when you need them. Seek out green vendors for your business needs, whether it be printing business cards, hosting your web site, or cleaning your office building.

6. One Word: Freecycle! Need some shelves for your office and don’t have a budget for new furnishings? You never know what you might find on freecycle. One person’s junk is definitely another’s treasure. If you have a large company, you could even organize an office-wide barter party, where everyone brings items they don’t use any more to swap for things they might need from others. When you upgrade your office equipment after years of use, pass it on if it’s still useful. List it on freecycle or donate it to a charity that may need it.

7. Institute a Company Recycling Program for Electronics.Recycling for Charities makes recycling e-waste like cell phones, cameras, and palm pilots a breeze - and you can choose which charity gets the proceeds from your recycled electronics! Many computer manufacturers offer take-back programs for old computers, so make use of them.

8. Slow the Flow of Junk Mail. There are free services out there that will remove you from mailing lists, and you can also remove your name from the Direct Marketing Association’s member prospect list.

9. Build Your Office Green from the Floor Up.Get lots of green building ideas at Green Building Elements.

10. Educate Yourself. Check out resources like Ecopreneurist for more green business tips.