Protecting the environment isn’t only good for the earth. It can also be good for your bottom-line. Reducing waste, whether it’s recycling an aluminum can or installing solar panels, can reduce organizational costs in the long term. The ideas below are merely a starting point for reducing your organization’s impact on the earth. Do one, some or all of them; every action, no matter how small, has an impact on the environment.
- Form a green committee. Have the committee meet periodically to reassess your programs and determine the next best steps. The committee should also track and measure progress.
- Recycle. Talk to your waste disposal company about startin a recycling program for your organization.
- Reduce waste. Minimize paper usage, where possible, and reuse paper that only has printed material on one side or print two sided. Fix leaky faucets and install low flow shower heads and toilets. Donate leftover food to a local food pantry.
- Buy eco-friendly products. Replace petroleum-based ink with soy-based ink for printing. Switch incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. Buy recycled paper and eco-friendly cleaning products. Buy energy-efficient appliances and office equipment. Buy fuel-efficient vehicles.
- Carpool or use public transit. Encourage your employees to carpool or take public transit by subsidizing their commute. Provide information in your literature and on your Web site about traveling to your facility via public transit, if practical.
- Develop green purchasing criteria. Ask your suppliers about their green practices and patronize the companies with the best policies.
- Design new high performance facilities. When building new facilities or refurbishing existing ones, consider including environmentally friendly features. While some features are more expensive up front, they are typically less costly to maintain and run.
- Offer literature and education programs. Inform your staff, residents/clients and board members about your organization’s environmentally friendly practices and how they can participate. Include information on your Web site and inform the media about how your organization is working to protect the environment and reduce waste.
What has your organization been doing to help the earth?
Looking for more ideas? Then visit the visit “Environmental Stewardship” section of the Quality First Web site to access ideas about making your business practices more environmentally friendly.
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June 17, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Jaq Baldwin
Hey Maggie,
Great thoughts on staying green.
My company is one of those green suppliers you mentioned. We help Atlantans save on their energy consumption by installing energy efficient windows.
Great post though. I’m glad to see more people talking it up. We waste so many resources everyday that I wonder where we’d be if people were thinking this way years ago.
Keep the posts coming!
JB in ATL
June 17, 2008 at 8:52 pm
jsknow
Marijuana can produce several different kinds of fuel. In the 1800’s and 1900’s hempseed oil was the primary source of fuel in the United States and was commonly used for lamps and other oil energy needs. The diesel engine was originally designed to run on marijuana oil because Rudolf Diesel assumed that it would be the most common fuel. Marijuana is also the most efficient plant for the production of methanol. It is estimated that, in one form or another, marijuana grown in the United States could provide up to ninety percent of the nation’s entire energy needs.
Source: Schaffer Library of Drug Policy
Hemp is 4 times more efficient than corn as biofuel. Hemp pellets can be used to produce clean electricity.
… so powerful it could replace every type of fossil fuel energy product (oil, coal, and natural gas).
… This plant is the earth’s number one biomass resource or fastest growing annual plant for agriculture on a worldwide basis, producing up to 14 tons per acre. This is the only biomass source available that is capable of producing all the energy needs of the U.S. and the world…
Hemp will produce cleaner air and reduce greenhouse gases. When biomass fuel burns, it produces CO2 (the major cause of the greenhouse effect), the same as fossil fuel; but during the growth cycle of the plant, photosynthesis removes as much CO2 from the air as burning the biomass adds, so hemp actually cleans the atmosphere. After the first cycle there is no further loading to the atmosphere…
Source: USA Hemp Museum
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