As our planet heats up, businesses have recognized the necessity of eco-friendly business practices as essential. From recruiting talent to improving energy efficiency, eco-friendly practices are an effective way to attract potential employees while making an impactful statement about our planet.
Start small, with simple measures that are both cost-effective and straightforward, then gradually add larger changes as your finances allow.
Educate Your Employees
Education your employees about eco-friendly business practices is an effective way to reduce environmental impact, build team morale and culture within your company and meet environmental goals head on.
Employee education programs range from one-off trainings to ongoing initiatives focused on expanding skills and expanding knowledge. Employees seeking greater meaning in their work may be more willing to devote both time and resources toward education opportunities.
Start small by hosting monthly lunch-and-learns that focus on reducing your business’s environmental footprint – this may include saving energy and paper consumption and switching over to green products.
Not only can education help your employees understand how their actions impact the environment, but it can also equip them with new skills and improve productivity – which in turn can increase profitability, save on costs and decrease waste for your business.
Encourage Commutes by Public Transit
Public transit offers an efficient and cost-effective solution to reduce congestion, air pollution, energy use and emissions – not to mention many other benefits for communities as a whole.
Millions of people rely on transit to travel daily to work, school, medical appointments and other activities – relieving themselves of stress and traffic jams which contribute to heart disease, cancer, respiratory ailments and reduced lifespans.
Promoting public transit use among your employees can help reduce transportation costs for them while simultaneously improving health and safety, saving the environment, and increasing productivity. Luum software platform makes this possible by making various commute modes available, offering customized benefits packages tailored specifically for employees’ commute needs, and offering real-time data and behavioral change incentives for employee satisfaction.
Studies show that public transit users engage in higher levels of physical activity than non-users, helping them lower risks associated with obesity and avoid its dangers.
Install Recycling Bins and Composting Bins
Business owners can help their employees become eco-friendly by installing recycling bins and composting bins at work, which will encourage employees to recycle both their own waste as well as that of customers.
Composting is an environmentally-friendly method of recycling organic material such as food scraps and yard waste into an enriching soil amendment, while simultaneously cutting greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption.
No matter whether you opt for your own or rented composting bin, air should circulate within it to accelerate decomposition and to promote faster results. To achieve this effect, drill holes near the base of the bin in order to allow airflow.
To create compost, you’ll need a combination of green and brown materials such as grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded newspaper, sawdust and twigs – this can be added in layers as you fill your bin.
Partner with Local Environmental Organizations
One effective strategy for fostering eco-friendly business practices is partnering with environmental organizations in your community. Doing this can establish you as a socially aware company while drawing clients who share the desire for creating a more sustainable future.
Partnerships bring together diverse stakeholders – government, nonprofit organizations and private philanthropy – in an attempt to address localized problems collaboratively.
Partnerships can be especially valuable in areas where there are few local solutions readily available. By uniting multiple sectors to address common community challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat degradation or degradation due to climate change.
EPA, one of America’s premier environmental organizations, provides numerous programs designed to assist businesses that wish to reduce their environmental impact. These initiatives offer assistance and resources that enable partners to identify products with lower impactful materials; secure funding for efforts related to sustainability efforts; and adopt sustainable practices.
