How to Run a Green Small Business Part 1

The impetus for a small business person to think green was cultivated this month, March 2007, by the Senate Small Business Committee which held a hearing on how the government was encouraging small businesses to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Senators John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts and Olympia Snowe (R) of Maine both chided federal agencies for not doing enough to support small businesses in their efforts to become more energy efficient. Here are some simple steps you can take:

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Install Fluorescent Lighting.
   This is an easy fix that I recently made to my own office. Every hotel room I stayed in last year had compact fluorescent lighting. Most homes I visited still didn’t. I work out of my home and recently made the change. My electric bill dropped, the heat output from the lamps is less and they’ll last longer. Ultimately over the course of its lifetime, a CFL will cost $14.40 compared to $50.14 for a comparable incandescent bulb, a savings of 71%.
2. Turn up or turn back the thermostat during unoccupied times.
   This is a simple fix that will save tremendously in heating and cooling bills. Once you see the money that you’ve pocketed, use it to buy a programmable thermostat.
3. Use e-mail instead for faxes and paper memos or letters.
   You generate far less waste and will frequently get a quicker response. Also, emails take less space when filed.
4. Recycle
   Running my own business, I burn through a lot of paper. You can half your paper costs if you print on both sides for drafts. It does take a little extra effort to recycle, but even Fox News has multiple bins throughout its facility for plastic, paper and irredeemable trash. You can support the economic viability of recycling if whenever even possible you buy office products made from recycled material.