5 Ways #GoingGreen in Business Can Save You Money

You don’t have to be an environmental fanatic to make a difference. Even small, simple steps towards going green can greatly affect the environment and your wallet (in a good way!). 

1. Donate. Donate old computers, printers, and furniture for a tax deduction. If you’re unsure of where to donate, check out Great Nonprofits. It keeps a list of nonprofit organizations in need of office equipment and furniture.

2. Go Paperless. Instead of using paper, use electronic ways to communicate both internally and to your customers. Document scanning and cloud storage significantly reduces paper waste and frees up storage space (literally). And if you are still using a paper fax machine, consider switching to paperless faxing.

3. Energy-Saving Bulbs. Energy-saving light bulbs use 70-90% less energy than traditional bulbs (saving about $80 in electricity costs) and last at least 15 times longer (EnergyStar.gov). For more information on greening your space, check out Energy Star, a program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

4. Put Your Computers to Sleep. Turn off your computers when you and your employees leave for the day. According to the EPA, this could save between $50 - $150 per machine.

5. Telecommuting. Have employees work from home. Going remote saves you money on overhead costs, real estate needs, and office operating expenses such as electricity, heating, cooling, etc. 

Technology makes it easy for employees to stay connected. With video chats, conference calls, cloud-based phone systems, MPLS VPN networks and wireless Internet, your employees have all of the resources they need to be productive and appear as if they are in the office even when at home or traveling.