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Unless you're the boss, it's not always easy to go green at work—but here, Trish Riley, co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Greening Your Business, elaborates on some of the simplest ways to take your workplace from carbon-heavy to eco-friendly. You might be able to do more than you think—and if you are the boss, pay attention: these changes will be good for the environment, for your employees, and for your profit margin.
Planet Green: Why is it so important to green your business in the first place?
Trish Riley: Our planet is in trouble, and businesses have the collective power to turn the tide on the environmental disaster we've created. If businesses don't become sustainable, we don't stand a chance.
What are some of the most common environmental issues business owners face?
Some businesses have developed practices that profit by using natural resources or damaging them. This is the most important hurdle that must be addressed first: businesses need to revise policies to ensure that they account for natural resources in a way that protects the health and safety of the environment and consumers. A sustainable business does not consider a profit that relies on sacrificing health, safety, or quality of life for employees, consumers and neighbors.
What would you say are the most important changes a business can make?
If your business creates products that damage the environment through manufacturing or waste processes, find new materials to work with and ways to create a healthier product with less and cleaner waste. Begin cutting back your carbon footprint by reducing your energy usage. Weatherize your facilities, review and improve your processing efficiencies. Reducing your energy use will reduce your energy bill which translates to profits while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Reduce your waste stream - recycle any waste products possible, use recycled materials, reduce your product packaging. Reduce your water usage and clean up your water waste stream. Reduce transportation costs for your products, materials and staff: review delivery policies and find ways to make them more efficient, invest in alternative fuel fleets or use delivery services that use hybrid and other alternative fuel vehicles, encourage employees to carpool, use mass transit, bike to work. Reduce business travel by utilizing teleconferencing and telecommuting. Encourage employees to eat whole, local, organic foods by serving those in the company cafeteria and connecting with local farms. Apply these policies when you plan business events, as well.
What is the biggest challenge people face while greening their business?
Changing the status quo and the way we do things can be difficult, but making the decision to develop sustainable business practices returns multiple rewards.
Are there any quick, immediate, and easy changes that people can make?
Begin energy and water conservation efforts, and recycle office supplies and materials.
How can greening your business affect profits?
Most businesses are quite surprised to discover how much they can save once they begin applying resource efficiency. Burt's Bees embarked on a waste recycling and within two weeks figured out how to save an estimated $25,000 per year.
Is there a cost to greening your business, and is it worth it in the end?
It's impossible to forecast the costs on a blanket basis—each company will have its own issues to address. But in general, most businesses are finding that they're able to reduce costs by going green in many areas. Some will have to invest in equipment that will pay off over a longer term, others will have to find new ways to do business with cleaner materials and processes, but the bottom line is a healthy environment, and our future is worth the cost.
What's one thing that everyone should know before they start greening?
If we don't do it, we're in trouble.
What are people usually most surprised to learn from the book?
It's not rocket science and we can get started immediately—the intrinsic benefits (everyone feels good about what they're doing) are one of the most rewarding aspects of going green.
What advice would you give to a business owner who knows nothing about going green?
Just get started—and let us help you.
More about Going Green at Work
How to Go Green: At Work
Be Subtly Green at Work and Persuade Coworkers to Join Your Cause
Stay Warm at Work to Reduce Heating Use
Push for Greener Vending Machines at Work
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