A growing trend in business is the emphasis on sustainability — “green” business practices.
Most of what you read about green initiatives in business relates to large corporations. Large corporations tend to grab headlines with their big goals (“selling 100 million fluorescent lightbulbs”).
For most of us, it’s hard to relate to that kind of huge scale.
But the most recent edition of the New York Enterprise Report outlines 24 steps that smaller businesses can take to “go green.” The article by Wayne Tusa lists steps that are practical and within reach of many small businesses, noting that:
Going green means many things to different individuals as well as to different business enterprises. Perhaps you want to reduce energy use or support the use of alternative energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming or do what you can to minimize the environmental impact in your own region. Perhaps your motivating factors are primarily business-based, including cutting operating costs, enhancing employee health and productivity, enhancing your business reputation or reducing the risk of running afoul of environmental regulations.
Read: Greening Your Small Business.
I have been seeing a commercial on TV relating to this, in that, they are touting the fact that their business is sitting on acres of conservation land with natural habitat for birds and the like. I believe it may be an auto company, but of course, now I cannot remember. Either way, I was very impressed and would like to see this movement continue.
Cutting down on the amount of paper used is also highly beneficial for the environment. A product called ElectroForms can help companies capture information without having to store vast amounts of paper.