5 Easy Ways to make Your Business a Green Business

A question that often gets asked me is how businesses can be good effectors of substantial and noticeable green policies.

A so, I thought I would list some of the best ones, as they are easy, affordable, and soon bring back return:

If you're going to have A-C, make sure the sun powers it
In 2005, plans were drawn up for the company of a friend of mine to become fully environmentally friendly. Like most finance businesses, their offices were completely air-conditioned, and we all accepted that this was an essential part of creating a workable atmosphere. At the time, solar-powered A-C was just beginning to be developed, but with a little investment SANYO (the Japan-based company that is a leading innovator in the solar-powered energy area) was able to develop a solar-power-based fully-operational A-C unit, which worked by using sunrays off the roof of their buildings, and transferring the power into the machines which kept the office cool. There are other market vendors, and currently SANYO doesn't sell the model in the US, but keep a lookout, as it will be very soon, and it really is a damn good option to start off with.

Turn off a light, every now-and-again
(Another anecdote from travels...) Often, when I am flying to places -- and this usually applies when flying north to south, or vice versa, as it is more potent then -- I miss the rising of the sun. I am always annoyed, as we only a certain number in our lives, and I try not to miss even one. But few places have I ever traveled to where the sun does not touch at all. In northern Scandinavia, the sun shines for less than 5 months in a year and even they know that, when it is out, it is plenty bright enough for everyone.

It isn't a big ask, this. Indeed, to me it reeks of pure common sense. Turning a light off during the day saves perhaps 75% of your light-energy intake, which is a huge saving if you build it up over a year. In the evening, yes, it is necessary, but make sure they are energy saving lightbulbs, which take far longer to burn out, and use less energy in doing so.

Anybody at this computer?
Leaving things on standby really bugs me -- it's a pet hate. For TVs, it's simple. Get up off your fat ass and turn the damn thing off! (If you already do, I apologize for the rudeness!) For computers it is a little more complicated, but really boils down to a matter of forethought, planning and consideration. If you take the time to make sure your computer is turned off, even during a lunch break, it builds up over time and can become a good loss in your CO2 output. NEVER leave it on overnight -- it's just simply a waste, and completely unnecessary, and please make sure that when you do turn it off, you turn off all the surrounding accessories (screen, speakers, mouse etc.)

Fueling your workforce
Travel takes up a helluva a lot of most people's days. It does mine. I will confess, until about four years ago, I was driven wherever I went, taking the fast and easy route -- and, I admit, in a gas-guzzling car. Then, when I started learning about the environmental movement, I quickly switched to public transport.

Now, don't get me wrong. I hate public tranport. Loathe it with contempt that has never before graced the planet. But I bear it. And for me, time usually isn't an issue. But for many time is absolutely crucial in deciding their mode of transport, and ultimately how green they are in getting to work. All I can urge is that, when choosing between an extra 1/4 hour in bed in the morning and catching a taxi, or getting up 1/4 hour earlier and getting the metro or bus, just look outside at the trees, for one second, and perhaps take the friendlier option. For their sake, and yours.

Finally, use your technology -- it's there to help
Companies like Skype and Microsoft's subdivision, MSN, provide easy-to-use, adaptable, free and efficient ways of communicating all the way around the world, via videophone if necessary, which could ultimately save a flight or two in the long run. Flights are such heavy-polluters, and so even skipping one or two will have a noticeable affect on your own personal climate rating.

I would urge to use the technology available -- and there is tons out there, especially if you are willing to pay for it, but lots of free stuff also -- which helps save the climate, and will ultimately make your business more environmentally friendly on a global scale.

There are many more, but I think these are good starting points. Obviously, many companies would find it difficult to implement all of these suggestions in their particular situations. But adapt them. Use them as inspiration. Come up with your own ways of creating easy, sustainable energy, and help your planet.

Comments

[swampman]

Check out a smart interview with Khosla Ventures partner Ford Tamer, on the keys to building a successful green company. It's a worthwhile read.

http://www.selkerlead.net/blog/

[hypnotoad72]

Why wouldn't Sanyo sell it in the US?

[LorinM]

"But few places have I ever traveled to where the sun does not touch at all. In northern Scandinavia, the sun shines for less than 5 months in a year (although that time period is increasing with global warming) and even they know that, when it is out, it is plenty bright enough for everyone."

So now global warming is causing the Earth to shift it's rotational axis? Hmmm....

[USBrit]

That seemed a very odd comment to me as well. The physics behind that is not apparent to me.

[Stefan Roberts - Huffpost Blogger]

I understand your point - and to be absolutely honest, I don't understand it myself. I recently began a study, by leading environmental scientists, into this exact phenomenon, and it will be published in the fall.

All I can say, for sure at the moment, is that, having been there and spoken to the people who live with it everyday, it is definately getting longer.

[iamjoneskeepupwithme]

i have another one: i think ceiling fans should be required in all new construction and installed in existing structures by all who can afford to do so. running ceiling fans helps to cool down interiors and require less air conditioning. less heat in the winters, too, as the warmth rises to the ceilings. i realize they require electricity, but solar should ideally be providing the power.

[USBrit]

My brother did a quick check and found his stero when idly awaiting him to use the remote to turn it on uses 7 watts of power. His ceiling fan when in use uses... 7 watts of power.

[SolarPowerGuy]

That must be a pretty small, or pretty slow, ceiling fan. I would say that 50 watts is more typical.

I have no air conditioning in my California home. At night, the temperatures in this arid climate drop rapidly. We open our windows after sunset, and blow exterior air through the house using two commercial-grade floor fans (you can buy them at Costco). An hour or two is all we need, even on the hottest days. We never run our fans at full speed, because they would blow us away. But if we did, they would use 300 watts each.

My neighbor's air conditioner pulls fully 3,000 watts. It runs during the daytime. And he's still running it, when we turn everything off to sleep.