TLDR Version:

• Forget the rhetoric, being green isn’t bad for business

• This is also true for small businesses, even one-person operations

• Five green solutions that make financial sense:

  • Switch to LED lights

  • Use automation to shut down energy hogs

  • Rethink business printing

  • Use remote work tech

  • Rethink eating at work

• The bottom line is that being green is actually good for your bottom line!

More context:

When I first started blogging, I chose a very niche project. I was going to write about how Hi-Fi audio equipment could be more green. In the end, this niche topic proved to be a tough one. The reality was that people who spend tens of thousands of dollars on a pair of speakers don’t really concern themselves with being environmentally friendly.

The Hi-Fi manufacturers had similar sentiments. I suspect they were just trying to meet the minimum regulation requirements that they mostly considered to be restrictive and anti-competitive. As the political climate became more hostile towards green solutions in the last few years, my blog fizzled out as well.

However, I never lost my interest in writing about green initiatives and while it does seem like there is some growing interest today, it is still a tough sell for most people, and this is also true for small businesses.

In a post-pandemic, downward economy, small businesses are more concerned with staying profitable, if not just surviving. Environmental regulations are still considered an impediment. This is a pity because many greener options can actually save small businesses money. Here are some examples:

1.       Use LED lights

Replacing incandescent and fluorescent/CFC lightbulbs with LED versions will result in cost savings. While LED bulbs are still more expensive, they also have been coming down in price as demand has increased and supplies have grown. LED bulbs are also more resilient to being turned on and off than fluorescent/CFC bulbs.

This makes LED bulbs a better option for dimmers and timers, which will also save you money over time. Many workspaces can use less light, which also keeps spaces cooler as temperatures have risen. Using automation allows these lights to be controlled based on occupancy and working needs.

How much savings can you expect? Well, I used to have four large 3’ light boxes which used fluorescent tubes, in my garage where I do my packing. According to some rough calculations based on how many hours they were in use; this cost about 15 cents per day. Not a huge amount, but over the course of a year, this was notable. Switching to LED and a motion sensor I now use about 1/8 as much energy to light my garage.

When you consider the many other lights in use while you work, from overhead lighting to, desk lamps to security lights at night, switching to LEDs can make a difference. I’m not saying you should switch out all your lights immediately, but as they burn out, you should switch to LED versions.

P.S. One annoyance that people have is with the brightness of LED lights, so I try to purchase lamps with a diffusing shield. Alternately you can make your own, as described in this comical video.

2.       Shut down tech when not needed

While laptops use very little energy, desktop computers, screens, servers/NAS units and networking equipment (i.e. you router) use quite a bit more. Likewise, if you have a music playing in the background, a TV on while you work, or fans on, these all consume energy as well. When you are not using them, I know it is a hassle to turn these on & off, so I automate them.

Most equipment these days can be shut down or switched to low-power modes when not actively used. You should consider using these features. For electronics like fans, appliances, and older music equipment, you can install automated timers that you can even control with your voice or with your phone when you are out of the office.

I also use automation on my servers and networking equipment at night. Turning these off regularly has additional benefits:

• It allows for needed reboots after software updates

• It keeps the equipment secure when not in use because late at night is when hackers, particularly those from different time-zones, tend to be more active

One way I manage this when the equipment itself does not have automated shutdown capabilities is by using powered batteries (aka UPSes) that offer this functionality. UPSes are a bit outside the scope of this article, but if you want to learn more about this, here is an informative video on the subject.

As with the topic of switching to LED lights, shutting down electronic equipment is one more way to be greener and save on energy expenses. By using automation, this does not need to be something you need to remember to do.

3.       Change how you print

Most small businesses need to print invoices, reports, client proofs, receipts, and advertising materials. This requires printers, toner/ink, paper, and sometimes special types of paper. Not only are these expensive, but they are also not good for the environment because of how they are produced and the waste they create. Fortunately, being green will help save on those costs.

Let’s begin with the printers. I used to print all my shipping labels with a laser printer, typically one label per page. I then placed this in an adhesive plastic label envelope. If I ran out of those, I would simply just use packing tape to affix it to the box. This was wasteful and time-consuming. I have since switched to a thermal printer which doesn’t require ink/toner and it prints on adhesive labels, so I don’t need to worry about attaching it, either.

For other print jobs I first replaced my deskjet printer for a laser printer, and then switched to a laser printer that prints on both sides. This saves on toner/ink and paper. I’ve now set it to print on both sides by default, so that everyone else remembers as well. I also increased the margin sizes as a default, so each printed page uses slightly less ink – no one has noticed, so it isn’t something anyone is missing. For much longer print jobs I’ll print 2 pages per side whenever possible – still legible, but half as many paper & toner/ink.

What about color printing? I have a separate color printer, but it must be specifically selected whenever anyone prints. I encourage everyone to print only the pages they need in color (like cover pages and charts pages) and print the rest on the laser printer. Since color printing is so much more expensive per page, this helps reduce cost & waste.

Consequently, I have also set the printers to shut off automatically when they are not being used. Since they are on one end of the house, it typically takes a couple of minutes for everyone to get to the printers, so by the time a print job is sent to a printer, it has had time to turn on, initialize and print whatever was needed.

I also set the print jobs to use the tray with the least expensive paper by default. If someone needs thicker, more expensive paper, then they need to select that tray manually. I realize that this does hinder productivity slightly, but no one has complained.

For more complex jobs, especially those requiring many colors and specialty paper, I’ve made it very convenient to print to Staples. I’ve experimented with requiring my approval for any large or complex print job, but this seemed a bit too draconian, wasn’t necessary often enough, and I really didn’t want to be micro-managing it to that extent. Instead, everyone uses their own judgement, and this has worked well enough.

Finally, consider other ways that you can reduce printing by implementing paperless office solutions, from invoicing via email to sharing documents with clients via the cloud, there are many ways you can reduce your printing costs and become greener in the process.

These are simple and easy ways that anyone can reduce printing expenses and waste. Maybe some of these options aren’t necessary in your business, but the options are there, if you want to implement them.

4.       Use remote work options and the cloud

Using remote work options can significantly minimize expenses and waste by reducing travel time while still retaining a collaborative environment. There are many excellent products for achieving this from household names like DropBox to Google Workspaces to Zoom. I still use these with clients who prefer them.

However, for our own team, we needed something that had a consolidated interface, was cross-platform, offered simplified management, and centralized billing. This is why we now use Microsoft Office 365 and all the associated collaboration options (Exchange, Teams, OneDrive, etc.). While it does have a slight learning curve, once everyone understood that these were so similar to the Word and Excel programs they had used for years, we were quickly able to standardize on it.

Many people use Google as a platform, which is a less expensive solution and very capable with unique features. Other options are Zoho, Salesforce, Apple’s iCloud which many small businesses who use Macs rely on as well. Whatever solution you chose, remote work and leveraging the cloud is an excellent way for your team to work remotely.

In addition to being more green and saving on travel costs, remote work has other benefits as well, including providing more flexibility to your employees and finding quality talent much further away. Here is the CEO of Wordpress.com explaining the these and other benefits of remote work in a TED talk.

Also consider that remote work technologies are still in their infancy. Eventually virtual solutions will become more common place, and these will also be more green than travel and physical proximity. By using these remote work technologies now, you are also keeping yourself and your business at the forefront of innovation, and this could give you a technological advantage in the future.

5.       Reconsider how you eat

While this is typically a recommendation for larger businesses, there are lessons here for smaller ones, including those who work from home. While I work from home, I have also changed my eating habits to be more productive, create less waste and use less energy.

Americans waste a lot of food, but the most damaging for the environment is the production and packaging. This is especially the case with fast food, which also tends to be less healthy and more fattening too – definitely not ideal for someone like me who sits in front of a computer all day.

Therefore, I have also reduced my meat intake considerably – I realize this isn’t for everyone but for me, this has improved my health, lowered my weight, and reduced kitchen waste and packaging waste in my home. Meat production is extremely wasteful for the environment and so this is something I recommend.

Meat products also tend to be more expensive. If your business does a lot of catering, parties, or provides lunches for your employees, then consider reducing the amount of meat used in dishes and offering healthier options that typically will also cost less. This will be more green and more economical.

Encourage your employees to bring healthier lunches and provide a place where they can eat those lunches. This will build camaraderie among your employees, but will also have other benefits because it will:

• reduce the consumption of fast food

• reduce the need to travel to a restaurant

• reduce lunch expenses for your employees

For your business, this will also have the added benefit that your employees will stay on-site and reduce the early afternoon productivity slump that employees typically experience after a heavy off-site lunch.

Lunches brought to work typically will be eaten cold, but even if they do need warming up, this will be typically with a microwave. This is an inexpensive appliance for you to provide, that also happens to use far less energy than a stove. This is both green and cost-effective for you.

If you provide coffee for your employees like many businesses do, you can set a green example by offering organic, fair-trade options, teas and cups that are made of recycled materials. While green coffee, tea and supplies may not be much less expensive, it does set an example that being green is welcomed. Generally speaking, employees are more receptive to this type of work environment, which surveys suggest is a growing trend.

Consequently, many of these concepts will also have a positive impact for smaller businesses and those who work from home. I have implemented some of these myself, and I can say without hesitation that my own productivity and the productivity of my staff has improved as a result.

Conclusion

The conversation about environmentally conscious business practices is an ongoing one with many different opinions. Most of those conversations are broad and generalized for the ears of CEOs, politicians, and the heads of large organizations. So let them continue to debate this.

You have a business to run and being green just makes more sense simply because it positively impacts your bottom line. Consequently, being green also has a positive impact on employee morale, so it’s a win-win for you, either way.

It is time to stop thinking of environmental initiatives as an unnecessary expense, a burden to bear for your team, and an impediment to your business’ bottom line. It isn’t, even if the popular rhetoric continues repeating that mantra. Let them continue to debate if they like. In the meantime, just do what’s best for your business, and in this situation, this does include being more green.