Today’s environmentally-minded companies are always looking for ways to make their carbon footprint smaller. From offsetting to telecommuting, we give you several ways to make this goal a reality:
Computers
Unless you really need powerful computer equipment, say if you work in video editing or game development, look at whether you can replace inefficient desktops with more eco-friendly laptops. Assuming your employees are using email and basic applications the majority of the time, powering a desktop is overkill. Think about implementing a thin-client setup where employees use low-end terminals (often a monitor, keyboard and mouse) connected to a server which runs the operating systems and applications they need. To do this you’ll want a good Remote Desktop Protocol solution – you can find an RDP client for Mac or Windows, and browser-based solutions from industry-leading companies like Ericom.
Adopting Telecommuters
Imagine the reduction in emissions you could make by letting more of your employees work from home, not to mention the impact it would have on traffic congestion. According to the US Environmental Protection Authority, light-duty vehicles – the cars, SUVs and vans that many use to travel to work – account for 62% of all greenhouse gas emissions. If your office-based employees need to drive then make sure they use carpool schemes where possible. Try to get people to ditch cars for bikes if your area has good on-road cycling routes.
Offsetting
There are plenty of ways to offset your emissions – an especially good tactic for those large companies where reducing greenhouse gas is difficult. Offsetting usually involves investing in environmental projects, typically in developing countries, that aim to reduce future emissions. It’s no longer all about planting trees, a much criticized practice, but about clean-energy projects like distributing efficient cooking stoves or capturing methane gas at landfills.
Use Less Paper
This is one of the most basic tenants of running a greener business. Paper apparently makes up 35% of our waste stream – and do we really need things printing out any more. With most people owning a smartphone there’s no need to print off emails or tickets for travel; you can use e-signature apps for anything that needs signing and invoice clients digitally. Any paper you do use make sure it’s recycled, print on sustainable paper and on both sides of the page.
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