Steps to Sustainability Strategies for Small Businesses

Going green as you are starting your own business is easier than you think. You can make six simple changes to save energy and save money. The bottom line is that by remembering to do a few things, or investing a few changes, you can save your company’s resources as well as the Earth’s resources. Here are six sustainability strategies for small businesses.

Step 1. Turn of equipment

If something is not being used for more than 30 minutes, turn it off. If you go on a lunch break, shut down your computer or at least put it in sleep mode. If everyone participates, you could save 25% on energy costs. By shutting everything down at night, you could save another 50%.

Step 2. Communicate by email

Memorandums used to fly in paper form from office to office, but by communicating electronically, you will save a lot of paper, ink, and trees. When documents must be printed after starting your own business, use double-sided printing whenever possible. Supply your office with recycled paper so printing does even less damage.

Step 3. Install occupancy sensors and fluorescent lights

Having lights on in rooms where no one needs them wastes energy. By installing motion sensors in the bathrooms, offices, conference room, break room and more, you will save a great deal of energy by allowing the lights to go off when a room remains empty for a given length of time. When the lights are on, they will consume less energy if they are fluorescent or compact fluorescent light bulbs. Be careful though, some people are very sensitive to fluorescent lights and can cause migraines and even seizures.

Step 4. Change thermostat settings

In the winter, the office does not need to be warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt. In the summer, people should not be forced to wear a jacket in their cubicle. When starting your own business, put the heat setting at 68 degrees in the winter and the cool settings to 74 degrees in the summer.

Step 5. Install window coverings

Commercial-grade window coverings are designed to filter the light so less sun heats up the office in the summer while allowing you to still see outside. These shades can be raised so the natural heat from the sun is allowed to warm the office in the winter.

First, when starting your own business, fix leaky faucets. A dripping faucet at a rate of one drip per second results in more than 2,600 gallons of water wasted per year. Then, update old water heaters to on-demand tank-less water heaters to save even more energy. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.