4 Innovative Ways for Your Organization to Stay Green

Often, the first steps organizations take to go green are embracing sustainable initiatives such as recycling, composting, or reducing paper use. After the initial sustainable practices have been in place for a while, the next step is to find innovative ways for your company to stay green. Here are a few ideas to inspire your company.

1) Green Your Work Schedules

In the United States, commuting is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions. Businesses can help their employees reduce their carbon footprint with greener work schedules. The key is to find creative ways to decrease the number of days per week employees need to come to the office. Some employees may be interested in working longer hours to switch to a four-day workweek. If your company’s work can be done remotely, perhaps employees could work from home once or twice a week.

2) Switch to Green Web Hosting

Web hosting demands a lot of energy. Green web hosting companies use strategies to make their clients’ web hosting carbon neutral or carbon negative.

3) Find More Energy Savings

Your business may already have a policy that the lights are turned off after hours. Switching to energy-efficient LED lighting could yield additional savings. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it’s a common myth turning computers off provides significant savings in comparison to sleep mode. The EPA recommends companies have a policy that electronic devices are set for sleep mode when not in use. In particular, organizations need to ensure notebook computers have their AC power profile set to hibernate or standby.

4) Reduce Disposable Products

It’s typical for businesses to stock the office kitchenette with throwaway drink stirrers, plastic cutlery, disposable cups, and paper towels. Companies can eliminate stirrers and disposable cutlery by investing in inexpensive stainless steel flatware. Giving every employee a mug or reusable water bottle during onboarding eliminates the need for throwaway cups. Consider replacing paper towels with fabric ones.