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Tips to Reduce Energy Consumption in the Work Place

The much talked about “Going Green” is not at all difficult even when it comes to practicing it in your office. If you are a little careful with your day-to-day activities then this can be an easy step for you in the green. There are several advantages when you have a workplace that focuses on a greener environment and result in saving your expenses and reduction in the waste as well.

Reduce in the consumption of energy levels at your work place. You may simply customize the setting on your computers and several other devices to consume lesser energy or simply shut them off when not in use. In addition, the standby mode tends to consume more power when compared to the computer in use. Switch off certain peripheral devices when not in use. Switching off the lights when not required and optimizing the air conditioning levels will also help in considerable reduction of consumption.

You can even have your going green attitude with your dressing styles as well. Go for clothes made of organic or recycled fibers. It would be better if you could avoid clothes that need dry cleaning and so on.
Try to have a makeover in your workspace. You could do this in endless ways, starting with the furniture, lighting and fresh air. You can go for furniture made from recycled materials; also, you can replace the incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones and choose from LED desk lamps that comparatively assumes very less energy. Also, make room for good ventilation and use low-VOC paints and other materials that would contribute in keeping you and your employees healthy. Adding a few live plants may also add charm to the going green atmosphere at your workspace.
You can also use reusable containers to bring lunch to work and probably this is the greenest and healthiest way.

Filed Under: Energy Saving Appliances, Green Businesses Tagged With: , ,

Start a Go Green Initiative in Your Small Business or Office

An office generates non-recyclable waste. It can range from papers to plastics to Styrofoam. It is not only about using copiers and about monitors while going green. It is something more than that. Offices can prevent this by taking some steps.
Fix a small team in the office to see about the disposal and management of waste. A campaign “Lights Out” which began a few years ago aimed at offices to turns out the lights after the last late worker leaves.
Listed below are some steps to make office green.
Use recycled paper in offices to go green in office. Recycled paper is getting cheap and offices may get a grant if they adhere to green business policy.
Make sure not to use Styrofoam or plastics in your offices. To mark this change, offer free tea and coffee services.
Buy and store mugs in office kitchen putting the company logo on the mug.
Buy some phosphate free eco friendly detergent for office kitchen.
Go in for recycled battery and recycling of ink toner.
Recycled bins is to place in lunch halls, cafeteria and even besides individual desks. They are in use for throwing papers, metals and glass.
Use email for official purposes. Whereas paper documents cannot ban, email can save paper, ink and electricity.
Buy ink cartridges that can be recycled. It costs 75 percent less than the disposable ink cartridges.
Use cornstarch-based packing chips.
With offices that are facing problems to go green, offering prizes can help. Offer prizes to the department with lowest carbon footprint. Try to sort out the problems in a fun way.
One who is considering going green and who is a motivator could sign up the office to provide cash prizes for environmental awards. The office team should communicate with others and make changes.

Filed Under: Green Businesses, Green Construction Tagged With: , , ,

Businesses of All Sizes can Go Green

Many homeowners have already turned to eco-friendly living but to be efficient, their efforts need some support from businesses. Companies have to introduce a number of green innovations, in order to proclaim that they are environmentally friendly. These are the basic steps that have to be undertaken.

Dealing with old equipment
Computers are a dangerous type of waste that takes hundreds of years to disappear. Recycling old computers is one viable option.

Another option is available, as well. Donate all types of electronic equipment. This way, computers will continue to be use while the company could benefit from a tax deduction.

Dealing with office paper
Paper is probably the office supply used in largest quantities. Used office paper thrown in the garbage instead of being recycled is not at all a good practice.

Recycling office paper is beneficial, as new products derive from the waste that a company produces. Everybody knows that the production of paper leads to the cutting of trees and the release of harmful chemicals in the atmosphere.

Businesses will be even more green-oriented if they opt for the purchase of recycled paper.

The simplest way to promote good recycling policies is the provision of paper recycling bins. These will serve as a reminder for employees who would otherwise throw away used paper. It will also be easy and efficient to award employees who have done most for the company’s recycling program.

To take it a step further, the company can educate its employees and transfer the incentive from the office environment to their own homes.

Increasing number of individuals is growing eco-conscious. A company that understands and promotes green practices will gain the opportunity to attract these individuals through green business marketing techniques.

A business will also see significant benefits from the introduction of a recycling program. Many owners will be willing to adopt such business methods, once they become aware of the corporate advantages involved.

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Businesses Don’t have to Be Enemies of the Environment

It is a preconceived notion that businesses are an enemy of the environment. This is not true. Businesses can join the efforts of the individuals to lessen the carbon footprint, save water, energy and in this way improve the environment of the planet.

Make sure that businesses use Energy Star rated appliances and products as they save energy. Look for Energy Star logo on computers, printers and copy machines as they save energy. Do not keep computers or electronic appliances in sleep mode as while in the sleep mode they consume a little energy. Switch it off completely. Printers and monitors consume a large amount of energy. So keep individual monitors and shut down when kept idle. This will help save a lot of energy. Try to use laptops in office as they consume 90 percent less energy than desktops.

Very few businesses can do without lights. Instead of using incandescent lights, use CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) or LED (light emitting diode). These lights save about 75 to 90 percent energy. When not in the room, use automatic sensors to shut off the lights and save energy. Use as much daylight as possible.

Besides, energy conservation, businesses should also stress on water conservation. This is a very important aspect of human life. Check out for leaks frequently as this waste gallon of water and energy. Tank less water heaters reduce storage costs and wastes in businesses without a great need for hot water, while lowering a water heater’s temperature setting also saves energy. If installing faucets and urinals in toilets, go in for water saving equipments. If you use landscaping in your business, then you can go in for xeriscaping. Xeriscaping recommended by Environmental Protection Agency. This involves using native plants that require less watering and maintenance. You can also use gray water for irrigation of plants.

Filed Under: Environment, Green Businesses Tagged With: , ,

Clean the Environment and Cut Office Costs: Tips for Small Businesses

In these hard economic times, the last thing that you would want is high bills. It is evident that many businesses are looking for ways to cut on costs be it in payrolls, or simple monthly bills. When you think of cost cutting then you may be tempted to think of it in terms of something big like retrenchment of personnel, among others, yet the truth of the matter is, you may be overlooking potentially great means of cost cutting hidden in small bills. One of the best ways of cost cutting is water conservation. As warned earlier, this might seem like a waste of time, but the truth is that, it is a good start towards a profitable end.
In a report by the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), it says that a company can save up to 60% on water use on a monthly basis and the only thing you need to do is, invest more on energy-efficient fixtures such as, the use of faucets, and having urinals with a lower flow rate among others. You need to go for energy-efficient fixtures that only allow the flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons per minute.
You ought to invest more on tank less water heaters, for unlike other heaters, this particular one does not need standby water storage. You will also save much more money by reducing the water heater temperatures during the hot months like summer season.
According to the U.S. DOE, having a facet with a small leak can make you lose hundreds of water gallons on a monthly basis. Therefore, it is of great importance that you regularly check for leaks. You can simply do this by turning off all the gadgets that use water and check the water meter, if the dial moves then you have a leak somewhere. You need to have that leak found and sealed if you seriously seek to experience substantial decrease in water bills.

Filed Under: Energy Saving Appliances, Green Businesses Tagged With: , ,

Keep Your Office Environment Green

The Xerox 914 was the first one-piece plain pa...
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Being a small business owner, you may be fascinated about the fact that you keep your business surroundings environment friendly. If you follow the below guidelines, apart from cutting down on energy costs, you can also keep your environment green.
Instead of having a single printer, opt for two printers. Use one printer for two sided papers, whereas use the other for taking routine printouts. Advise your employees to dump in the used papers in a separate box, rather than throwing those away into a waste bin. At times, additional or draft sheets that are printed can still good for re- usage. Print outs can be taken on the other side of such sheets.
Ensure that you place an empty box next to the Xerox machine so that your employees can dump in additional copies that are not required. These kinds of sheets can incise into halves or quarters, which later can use as note papers.
Enforce a mandatory rule that every employee should switch off devices such as computers, printers, Xerox machines and other office devices that are not used every moment or at the end of the day.
In storage or break rooms, use automatic light switches so that they turn off after office hours.
Do not allow employees to have their own electrical appliances such as toasters, ovens, coffee maker etc. Instead, these kind of devices should be switched off and stored away during nighttime, when not in use.
Offering a mug with a spoon as a present to your employees can reduce or completely get rid paper cups.
Make sure that you buy only environment friendly paper items for office usage
To retain the heat or coldness in your office, instruct your staff to open and close blinds as and when necessary.
Switch off lights used unnecessarily so that you can cut down on energy costs.

Filed Under: Environment, Green Businesses Tagged With: , ,

Live a Green Lifestyle by Supporting Environmentally Friendly Businesses

If you are trying to improve the environment, then being a consumer of eco friendly products is the best way to live a greener lifestyle. Switch to the purchase of products offered by companies that practice green business. This way you can support the green business initiative.

A way to switch to eco friendly purchases may start from Fair Trade coffee and tea. When an eco friendly product, which worked under fair labor practice, given fair price, and used for growth and development of the environment, then the product certify as Fair Trade.

These eco friendly products such as coffee, tea, chocolates may be a little expensive than the regular products, but this additional expense made by the consumers is contributed to the improvement of the environment and those who worked towards achieving this eco friendly product.

Studies have shown that the textile industry uses 132 million tons of coal per year. This can affect the environment miserably. Traditionally water and chemicals used to grow cotton and the energy used to create synthetic fabrics can be very harmful to the environment. The huge amount of water used for finishing the process makes a lot of waste.

Making a transition to eco friendly textiles such as using organic cotton blankets, bamboo shirts, hemp jeans, can improve the environment and reduce the wastage of the society.

You can also shift your office environment to an eco friendly environment. Instead of using the age-old ink and paper, you can shift to non-toxic inks, recycled pens and paper. These types of eco friendly products are available at online shops like Dolphin Blue, O’Bon, and The Ultimate Green Store. So go green in your workplace by making a transition towards using eco friendly products.

Therefore, the products you use in everyday life can bring about a major change to the environment. By using eco friendly products, you are supporting the green business initiatives and passively helping to improve the environment.

Filed Under: Energy Saving Appliances, Environment, Green Businesses Tagged With: , ,

Consider Redevelooping Your Business Networking Model for Greener Practices

Loss of jobs and cuts to the working hours has left many people of North America in a terrible situation. It is becoming extremely difficult for them to even pay their bills and keep up their homes. However, the area of network marketing has huge opportunity for income. Nevertheless, this is an overlooked opportunity.

Direct selling involves directly selling through representatives. Often this leads to offer products at low prices, work as per their own comfortable time.

The investment, plans, fees, and above all, the monthly expenses required for a traditional business keep most people away from starting their own business. However, network marketing allows people to start their own business with very little money.

People think network-marketing companies deal with only products like jewelry or candle. However, all types of products can market through network marketing. It can range from clothing, jewelry to educational items, and telephone and internet services.

Hundreds of companies are members of Direct Selling Association and they strictly abide by the ethics of business. The number of members in US is higher than that of Canada.

Starting a network marketing Business is rather easy. All you have to do is, visit a DSA organization, choose a company website, and become their representative by following their instructions.

It will be better if you can check out the products and services offered by the company in your city, before joining the company.

Finally, if you join a network marketing company, it teaches you how to sell. This is an art, which many people are not born with, but excel in the field when they learn. One thing that comes in is, in a network marketing business, you do not get involved directly with business, but is a part of a team with whom you can share strategies and ideas.

Thus, network marketing can help those who want to establish themselves as a businessperson without getting directly involved in a business.

Filed Under: Business Benefits, Green Businesses Tagged With: , ,

One Green Policy at a Time

Look for this logo when considering your new r...
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It is a preconceived notion that “going green” in your office or business is extremely costly. However, this is not at all true.
Now days, more and more businesses are coming into this zone as it is proved that going green is cost effective and the initial costs can be recovered quickly provided the green strategies are implemented properly.
The first and foremost step is to identify the area where most of the energy in your business is lost. It may be in the front door due to variable temperatures or in the computers that do not shut down automatically and continue to run for long hours. It may also be in the bathroom where lights switch on throughout the day or in the hallways, in the copy and supply room or in an AC used by office colleagues.
Once you have identified the area of loss, next is the course of action. If the loss relates to lighting, then replace incandescent lights with Energy Star certified CFL bulbs. CFL bulbs reduce consumption of energy up to 75% and lasts longer than incandescent lights.
However “going green” is such a policy that cannot be achieved alone. It can implement if the other colleagues participate in the initiative actively and thus a change brought about collectively.
To install automatic sinks and motion-sensor lighting in the restrooms may be very costly, but there is an alternative option. Companies can use 5 to 10-minute automatic timer wall switch in conference rooms, restrooms and supply rooms.
Now it depends on whether you are the primary monitor of your energy usage, or there is someone else on observing your usage. However, if you see that after implementing the green policies if your energy consumption has declined, then you can invite the building manager to take a tour round your office.
Companies may undertake these just a few “green” policies to improve the environment while they are on a budget.

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Work at Home Gardening Helping Other Businesses Go Green

Flowers, plants and trees
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Most people think of an easy home-based business that could help their living. Gardening is one of the most recommended to start a home- based business. Let us say you know how to gardening, if not a passion at least you know how, this is a big help for you to start a small business without spending too much for capital. You will just invest for seeds and some spaces to start your business
In line with that, you will not use your own money to meet the client’s requirements. All you have to do is ask for at least 10-25% deposit to buy the needed materials in gardening.
Look at these ideas:
Personal Gardener: There are people who are gifted- or have a green thumb. Plant flowers for others or for yourself and sell the stock.
Windowsill or Balcony: There are individuals who have no backyard or garden but love to have plants in their balcony. Use the deposit to buy materials- seeds and containers.
Restaurant Produce Provider: All restaurants are in need of vegetables. You can sell them your veggies products.
Tabletop Gardens: Those who are leaving in apartment can also have plants in their houses. Provided they should have basement or attics to create portable and transportable garden.
Office Garden: Go to different offices to market your small garden and provide them plants that are in use in designing their office.
Herb Specialist: You should know many people believe the influence of healing of herb plants. So most likely, they will give a catch to your business.
Houseplant Care: There are people who are fond of plants yet but who cannot take care of it. Offer to look after their plants while outside the house.
Flower Producer. Special event flowers are in demand. See to it your flowers are in design so that your customer will keep on coming back.

Filed Under: Green Businesses, Green Construction Tagged With: , , ,
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