You want your business to go green. But what, exactly, does that mean?
我们都希望我们的家园和办公空间变得更加绿色，即更环保的。但是，知道如何这样做可能会令人困惑。我们都知道我们应该回收，但我们还应该怎么做？
If you’re looking for sustainability ideas for your business, great choice! Green offices can improve staff morale and health, are appealing to your customers, and have positive benefits for the planet.
Read more to learn some of the best ways your business can make some easy changes that will make your office space much kinder to the environment.
Go Paperless
Consider going paperless in your office. Paper creates so much unnecessary waste and often ends up in the trash, instead of recycling. Encourage staff to avoid printing except when needed and bring in paperless alternatives into your office.
For example, scan and save all archived documents, so they aren’t taking up storage space and use tablets and laptops for note-taking in meetings. You can also move to a cloud-based storage system, so staff can access documents from anywhere, without needing to print to read.
Work With Green Suppliers
If your business works with a lot of external suppliers, speak with your dollars by choosing to work with green suppliers.
This is a great way to support sustainable businesses and sets a strong example for staff to let them know their employer values the environment.
If you need to produce t-shirts for an event, look for a manufacturer using organic, ethically sourced materials by staff who are paid a fair wage. At events, avoid single-use plastics and use materials that can be recycled or reused.
再循环电子
Your workplace is probably already recycling in the kitchen and recycling paper, but you can actuallyrecycle electronicsas well.
E-waste often contains precious metals, mined from the earth, that can be reused to prevent additional mining. They can also often contain dangerous substances, like mercury. These can harm the earth if not disposed of properly.
Old computers, laptops, phones, and hard drives can all be taken to an approved e-waste recycling center, ensuring they are disposed of in a safe way.
In addition to e-waste, office furniture can also be recycled. Or, consider furnishing your office with second-hand furniture, which can both help save money and can also cut down on furniture going to landfills.
Encourage Remote Work
Commuters contribute huge amounts of emissions fumes into the atmosphere, fill their cars with fossil fuels, and pollute the environment.
如果您能够，请鼓励您的员工远程工作。即使只是每周工作的一天，在家里工作也会产生巨大的差异，减少交通。办公室的工作人员较少，还可以降低办公费用，并可以改善员工保留。这是因为员工享受家庭工作的灵活性和便利性。
Managing remote teamsis an effective way for staff to work collaboratively, no matter where they are. With the advantages of technology, such as video conferencing, remote working platforms, and email at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever to stay connected.
Use Green Cleaning Supplies
您可以使用化学品载有您每天清洁办公室厨房，浴室和工作空间的产品。购买办公用品时，请寻找由天然产品制成的绿色产品。虽然这些有时会更昂贵，但对您的健康和环境的好处使其变得简单。
Try to purchase products that contain natural ingredients, like vinegar, essential oils, and rubbing alcohol. If you have the time, you can even make your own natural cleaning products simply.
Install Energy Efficient Lighting
Office lighting is a sustainability business idea that you may not have thought of. Lightbulbs and lights that are LED or CFL, rather than halogen, use much less energy than traditional light bulbs.
They also last much longer than traditional bulbs, so they won’t need to be changed as frequently, plus they will save on your company electricity bills since they are more energy-efficient.
您还可以通过在未使用的房间关闭灯光，例如会议室和洗手间，并尽可能使用自然光线来减少照明成本。
Set Up Company Carpooling
办事处可能希望建立一个公司拼车系统，甚至为购买该计划的员工提供激励。拼车削减了排放，在路上较少，并且可以为员工更好地了解彼此的有趣方式。它还可以帮助工作人员节省时间，因为有多个乘客的汽车通常可以在HOV（高占用车辆）车道中驱动。
另一种帮助削减通勤的方法是鼓励员工接受公共交通工具，提供安全的自行车和滑板车停车，并为行走或自行车工作的员工提供现场阵雨。
Power Your Office With Alternative Energy Sources
Alternative energy is renewable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. Traditional power often depends on fossil fuels, coal, and oil. The greenhouse gases created emitted by this power source are harming the planet.
If your office space is able,可再生能源如太阳能，水电和风，可以是提供电力的伟大替代品。甚至更好，许多国家为使用替代能源的企业提供税收利益，例如在屋顶上安装太阳能电池板。
Inspired by These Sustainability Ideas?
There are so many sustainability ideas that can easily be done by small or large businesses, so nothing is stopping you from going green. Try to bring in some of the above ideas to help get your business heading in the right direction. As individuals and as businesses, we all have a responsibility to look after our planet.
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