Politics and Business

5 Ways to Become a More Sustainable Business

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Reducing environmental impact is a big priority for many businesses across the United States, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Large auto manufacturers are working to use renewable energy—for example, General Motors has committed to using 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

If your business is looking to convert to more sustainable practices, there are some great ways to move toward “going green” that are easy to implement, while others may require more actionable steps but will result in much less of an environmental impact for your business. Learn more about five ways to reduce your business’ carbon footprint.

1. Convert to sustainable energy solutions.

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Instead of relying on electricity, you can plan to install sustainable energy solutions, such as solar power panels that will harness energy from the sun and power your business building. If you are not quite ready for that, you can also consider using automated demand response services, which help you better utilize energy and adjust your usage levels for you. Automated demand response uses three steps:

  • Sensor installation
  • Data analysis
  • Event occurrence

Demand response can provide immense benefits for your business and can help curtail your organization’s energy usage.

2. Utilize biodiesel fuel for your business operations when needed.

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In our country, many restaurants use cooking oil and when they are done with it, it just turns into leftover waste that can end up harming the environment or clogging drains. However, companies are emerging that can take that oil and grease and turn it into biodiesel fuel. Businesses who use these oils can practice biodiesel recycling in Portland, OR so that places like Oregon Oils can turn them into biodiesel fuel for other companies to use. This renewable fuel can save you money and also help reduce pollution in the U.S. environment.

3. Set up a recycling program within your organization.

Within your organization, you more than likely use a lot of paper and other recyclable items. Instead of throwing those away and letting them take up space in a landfill, consider setting up an internal recycling program and encourage employees to participate. You might even think about setting up an incentive program so that they feel more inclined to be a part of the change.

You could take it a step even further and consider going paperless by using Google Docs or other collaboration software so that your employees feel less inclined to print off documents. Your e-waste, such as old computers, phones, tablets, and more, can also be recycled instead of being tossed in the trash.

4. Consider letting employees work from home.

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When your employees are allowed to work from home, then they commute less and end up contributing less to overall pollution with the emissions from their vehicles. Your building also uses more energy, especially with your HVAC systems, when more employees are there and working, giving off more body heat and using more electronics. If they work remotely, then you will not use as much energy. As an added bonus, working remotely can help boost employee morale and increase engagement rates.

5. Use a data center that follows green practices.

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Many data centers burn through energy, so you should try to use one that follows green practices. Storing your data is important to your organization, and the place you store your data should be an important choice as well. Green web hosting also helps to reduce the carbon footprint of your company’s website. Make sure to vet any data center or storage facility that you use to ensure they follow other best practices as well for secure data storage.

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