100 Green Small Business Tips

About six months ago we resurrected a dormant green team at the company I work for to expand the focus to the triple-bottom line - people, planet, and profit. One of our initiatives is to reduce water and energy consumption as well as divert as much as we can from the landfill. These initiatives not only reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), but they also save the business money. 

When we started our green team I wish we would have had this handy cheat sheet called 100 Green Small Business Tips. The online publication, Small Business Trends, solicited green tips from their readers. There are some obvious ones in there, but a few new ones that our green team didn't think of. Some of my favorites include:

• Use desk lamps - “Turn off the lights.  If you’re in the office alone or with just a few co-workers, use your desk lamps.  Leave the room lights in the OFF position.”
• Wash work clothes less often - “Wear your clothes (outerwear) and use towels more than once.  Come on, unless you work where you sweat or pick up contaminates, does that outfit really need to go through the laundry?”
• Try a four day work week - “Work 10 hr days and shut down Friday, Saturday and Sunday (every week, every other week or at least once per month-employees will love you as well).”

If you are a small business trying to be more sustainable, embracing the principles of the triple bottom line aren't difficult or cost prohibitive. Most of these green tips are just a matter of behavior change. So, what say you dear readers? Are you ready to start a green team at your company?