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It’s now more important than ever for your business to do its part to help the environment. The last few years have been the hottest years on record. The average Australian now produces 1.5 tonnes of waste each year. And global sea levels are expected to rise 7 to 23 inches before the end of this century. Pretty scary stuff.
Besides protecting Mother Earth, there’s another reason to go green: It can save your business money. Here are six Earth Day resolutions to help you green your business this year:
Go paperless
There’s little need for paper anymore. The lion’s share of your business operations can be housed in the cloud.
Use services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box to store all your documents and files. Send contracts through DocuSign. Take care of your accounting with online solutions like QuickBooks or Xero. For getting paid, turn to two digital Square features: Square Invoices (which can also help you get paid faster) and digital receipts.
All of these quick fixes help save trees. They also streamline your day-to-day tasks and reduce the need to invest in costly office equipment like printers and copy machines.
Change to LED lightbulbs
While LED lightbulbs may be more expensive upfront, they save loads of energy and money in the long run. LED bulbs can use up to 75 per cent less energy than incandescent lightbulbs, and last 25 times longer. In fact, some LEDs can last 20 years or more.
Reap tax benefits
There can be sizable tax benefits and rebates available to businesses that make efforts to go green. Australian state and territory governments offer a range of rebates and assistance when it comes to helping you go green. Check out the Your Energy Savings website for some of the rebates applied to business operting in your state.
Buy used furniture
With the bevy of online marketplaces now available to purchase quality used and reclaimed furniture (St Kilda Mums, Salvos, and Gumtree, to name a few), there’s no need to purchase stuff off the factory line anymore. Buying recycled furniture helps the environment, saves you money, and spices your storefront design with something a little more unique.
Purchase reusable bags
A staggering statistic: Approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used every year. That means more than one million bags are used every minute. Retail stores can help chip away at this number by offering reusable bags for customers to purchase for a small fee.
Reusable bags are not only environmentally friendly, they also act as a calling card for your business. Takeaway merchandise can be to get your brand on people’s radars.
Conserve water
Fix those leaky taps. Install low-flush toilets. Don’t pre-rinse your dishes. Opt for drought-resistant plants. There are many ways to cut back on water usage at your business. And saving water can also help your bottom line.
