Reusable Shopping Bags and other Green Ideas for Business

Many people have some great green ideas for businesses. The biggest problem lies in implementation. Where do these ideas actually get put to use? And, maybe the better question, who will be paying for these changes?

Luckily a lot of green choices are not only good for the environment, but they also save money. As I have stated many times in the past, make sure you take small steps in going green before you take large ones. Following through is just as important as good motives. Do not bite off more than you can chew! Here are just a few tips that will get you started or keep you going:

1. Encourage employees to communicate via email rather than faxing or snail mail. This will save money on postage, paper and ink toner. Less energy will be used by emailing. More than you even realize, the environment is being saved. Less fuel will be used and countless other factors will be reduced or eliminated.

2. When you do need to communicate via traditional paper trails, print both sides of the paper. This will, at the very minimum, cut the paper cost in half. Cutting the use of paper will reduce the amount of trees being used to create new paper.

3. Turn off your electronic equipment when they are not being used. At night, instead of leaving all of the computers, copiers, and lights on or in "sleep mode," simply turn them off. For even more energy savings, unplug your unused electronic equipment.

4. Encourage employee carpooling. There are a lot of "park and ride" options for employees. Using public transportation can cut fuel costs tremendously for your employees. Carpooling also helps to save gas money, and your employees might be able to find a few new friends as they commute together!

5. Provide reusable lunch bags for employees. A lot of employees bring their lunch to work. If they used reusable shopping bags instead of a throw-away paper or plastic bag, it would save a lot of waste. An added bonus of the reusable lunch bags is having your logo imprinted on the side. So, the lunch bags can work as an employee appreciation or a promotional item.

There are always more ways to go green. Anything you can think of that would save energy, fuel, and reduce waste is better for the environment. Implement just one or two ideas at a time. Following through is just as important as having good motivation.