The interesting perk of going green is that millions of companies are saving money too. Which is a big perk by itself? However, there is more at stake in going green that just saving money – but as businesses need to see that bottom line in good condition, then here are some ways that you can save money by going green.
Utilities
It is no secret that utilities can be incredibly high when you are running a business. Typically they are thousands of dollars for a larger business. You can cut your costs here and go green at the same time. Changing your light fixtures from standard bulbs to LEDs and power-saving bulbs will see a significant saving over time. Things like gas and electric can be reconsidered too. If you have a company that is heavily invested in non-renewables, then it might be time to research things like natural gas, wind power, and other renewable energy sources too.
Investors
More than ever, investors are looking to put their money somewhere worthwhile. And that means they are much more likely to put their investments in companies that are making changes now. In the long run, investors are looking for the largest return on their cash, which means they need to see that companies are thinking about their global impact and where they will be in 5, 10, 15+ years. If you are already complying with green standards, and are showing that you are already money-savvy too, then you look like a better investment.
Landscaping
If you have some space around the front of your building or a courtyard, then you can make the most of it by having some landscaping done. Creating green spaces is not only great for your employees – who are more likely to be more productive when you do this. But, the green can go some way to providing cleaner air.
You can also extend this inside the office too. Green is proven up the creativity and productivity of your staff, and reduce the number of sick days they take too.
Paperless
The fewer paper products you use, the less you will need to buy, so this one is a logic money saver. If you switch to cloud networks, and rather than posting documents, scan them and upload them, you are saving time and money. And, most of the paper things that you send out will more than likely end up in the trash when it reaches its final destination.
Marketing
While there is still a place for marketing materials, it might be time to consider if it is the best place for you to put your money. Rather than spend money on your own marketing and advertising materials, see if placing adverts in already running media will work. Perhaps you are in a position to only work with online marketing. Consider your options, and the chances are you can probably cut back.
Carpooling
If you have a lot of people who are traveling quite some distance to work, then see if you can provide incentives for them to carpool with other employees or catch public transport. The incentives will do a few things. Firstly you will be able to promote an environmentally friendly atmosphere, and your staff will get to know each other better too.
The biggest perk is that you may be reducing the number of vehicles on the road quite substantially if there are say 4 people sharing 1 car instead of 4 people driving separately. But make the incentives worth it.
Employees
The culture of going green needs to start with your employees. When they join the company or perhaps later, when your green status is being cemented, you can hand out things like reusable water bottles and hot drink mugs (with your logo, of course). So if they are using the water dispensers, they won’t have to keep using plastic cups or buying countless bottles of water.
Telecommute
It is highly likely your business can function without all of the staff all of the time. Take a look to see which jobs can be done remotely. Not only will your staff thank you, but you will be cutting out countless commutes, and you won’t be using as much energy in the officer either. You could take this even further and see if your business can work on a 4-day week model.
Food
When it comes to office meals and food, rather than opt for the place that will blow the company budget, look for places that are organic, or use local produce. Supporting local vendors is one of the greenest and gives a lot of social impacts too.
