| Ten Green Business Practices |
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| Thursday, 01 September 2011 00:00 |
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Written by Danielle Salley, Four Green Steps
2) Recycle old electronics: discarding electronics is very toxic to the environment. There are organizations that recycle donated technology (for example: http://pages.ebay.com/rethink/donate.html AND www.recyclingforcharities.com). Also check manufacturers’ policy for take-back programs. Click Here for more help. 3) Recycle, and then recycle some more: where there is a garbage can, ensure there is also a nearby recycling bin, particularly in common areas and near photocopiers. Purchase recycled paper products and refill computer ink cartridges. 4) Be innovative: encourage employees to be creative with respect to environmentally-sound business ideas. Incentive? Make money from a great idea while saving the planet! 5) Print wisely: minimize waste by being more selective with work emails that may or may not need to be printed. Promote the use of back-up copies instead of storing box upon box of paper files. 6) Network with green-minded companies: network with surrounding businesses that are also ‘going green’ to ensure that your supply chain is green as well (the big picture is key). Find locally approved green vendors to meet your business needs. Try: National Green Pages, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. 7) Eliminate junk mail: nearly 100 million trees are used for junk mail each year in the U.S. To help reduce the clutter in your mailbox while saving trees, check out free services that remove you from mailing lists. For example: Green Dimes, ProQuo, and Earth Class Mail. 8) Digital over printable documents: reduce printouts by using digital documents. Sign contracts/documents with electronic signatures (try Adobe Acrobat Professional). You can also send proposals, contracts and invoices via email as PDF attachments. Prospective clients can then e-sign (e-signature software) the documents and send them back, without either party printing a thing! 9) Go hybrid: Lead by example! Consider the benefits of purchasing a hybrid as the next company car. Clients will appreciate the effort, and you will put pressure on surrounding businesses to ‘follow your lead’. Hybrid benefits include:
10)Company policy: make it company policy to recycle everything you can while holding people responsible for their day to day actions. Also, try encouraging a ‘bike to work day’ once a week/month with co-workers!
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