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The Little (But Purposeful) Ways Startup Entrepreneurs Can Go Green
It is the responsibility of an entrepreneur to manage daily operations, issue policies, utilize resources adequately, and execute crucial decisions that can leave a positive and sustainable impact.
Most people have the wrong perception that reorienting your lifestyle into a more eco-friendly direction requires a lot of money. On the contrary, going green can help make a better, more reliable brand identity, help you save money and resources, and demonstrate the general duty of taking care of your environment. Here is a list of some small changes you can make to limit your startup’s effects on the environment during this ecological crisis we’re heading towards.
Limit Paper Usage
With everything going digital, offices have actively adopted a digital workflow that helps limit paper use. Many startups aim to go completely paperless; most office work can now be done much faster and organically more organized on computers or laptops.
Unfortunately, statistics reveal that almost 40% of paper is still wasted. As an entrepreneur, you can direct your company’s policies towards using the minimum form and advise employees to avoid their paper waste.
Ways Startup Entrepreneurs Can Go Green: Avoid Disposables
Using disposable cups, paper plates, spoons, or anything similar in the office can seem like the obvious and most convenient option, but the reality is that the production of these items leaves a tremendously negative impact on the environment; and for what?
You do not have to figure out who will do the dishes for a few minutes? A simple solution to this issue is promoting reusable items like mugs, water bottles, and plates. You can order a few custom-designed bottles for your permanent staff; this will leave a great impression on your team and will motivate them as well.
Renovate the Workplace
As numerous research studies suggest, revamping the workplace with indoor plants will improve the air quality of the premises and make employees more relaxed. This environment positively affects mood and increases productivity. Keep an orderly and minimalistic atmosphere by maintaining a de-cluttered and well-organized workspace for an effective workflow.
Environment-Friendly Alternatives
This may come as a surprise, but office supplies, electrical appliances, advertisement brochures, and business cards contain many non-biodegradable materials that are hazardous to the environment. Try to figure out the materials that should be replaced with better, more eco-friendly alternatives. You can start by going for some eco friendly business cards; this will leave a lasting impression on prospective clients you deal with in the future.
You can choose from different alternative and equally appealing materials or designs and match them up to your preferences. Besides replacing your business cards, other options like staple-free staplers, energy-saving LED light bulbs, solar-powered appliances, and recyclable paper products can also be used if you want your office to function mindfully.
Cloud Computing
Thanks to technology, we can now use personalized workspaces to conduct office work with safety and effectiveness. Cloud computing allows employees to collaborate in real-time and provide quick feedback through well-designed digital platforms. Working with a cloud-based infrastructure helps employees effectively deal with their workload.
Most companies are also promoting digitally signed official documents to waste less paper and make the process more hassle-free. Investing in cloud services for your startup will be an eco-friendly alternative as it will eliminate the need to maintain costly hardware support if done individually. Less hardware translates to fewer carbon emissions and minor environmental damage.
Avoid Plastic Use
Follow the motto of boycotting the use of plastics; it’s one of the most significant environmental issues that need to be controlled as soon as possible. Despite the efforts being made by relevant authorities on the harmful effects, plastic products are being increasingly manufactured and filling up landfills.
You can use biodegradable trash bags, paper bags, or other alternatives that could decrease your contribution to polluting the environment. Plastics are the most harmful materials to the environment as they are not biodegradable and have existed on Earth for hundreds of years. Not only do we overuse plastic, but we can never dispose of it properly, which is why it’s likely going to suffocate nature if we don’t stop overlooking this fact.
Practice Recycling
It might be surprising for most of us, but adequately recycling workplace waste can considerably benefit the environment. Recycling keeps the use of resources to a minimum, helps us reuse materials that are still usable but would end up in a landfill, and reduces the requirement of processing new materials, which contribute massively to increasing pollution. You can place separate recycling bins for organic materials, plastics, papers, and sharp objects so that they can each be sent to the relevant recycling facility.
Ways Startup Entrepreneurs Can Go Green: Reduce Fuel Emissions
Encourage public transport when commuting to the workplace and emphasize using fewer vehicles; this move can reduce carbon emissions by many folds. If your workplace is near your home, plan for a bike ride that will keep you mentally and physically fit.
As carbon dioxide is majorly responsible for global warming, limiting the use of fuel-based vehicles and encouraging your team to do the same will ensure that you are committed to being an eco-friendly startup.
There are many informative and mindful methods other than the ones mentioned above; do some more research and start practicing to ensure you’re on good terms with mother nature and implement the vision you want to adopt as an entrepreneur. Set up a strategy with achievable goals to work your way up to an environment-friendly office.
