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10 Easy Steps to Transform Your Business ‘Green’

Guest post by: Linda Siniscal

Article Overview: Tips and ideas on running a ‘green’ business

10 Easy Steps to Transform Your Business ‘Green’

Everywhere you turn, you hear the words "going green". As a small business owner you probably wonder what you can do to help the environment. Can I really make a difference? Well you can, and here are a few steps that you can start implementing to create a positive impact on the environment. Going green does not have to be hard, it can be the easiest thing you do.

1. Recycle. Permanently place a recycling bin in arm's length from your mail bin so you can quickly get rid of that junk mail fast. To take it one step further, you can get off those junk mail lists by registering with Direct Marketing Associates at dmachoice.org. You will see a significant reduction in mail in about 3 months.

2. Scanning. Another way to get rid of unwanted paper, scan. Scanning saves valuable file space especially when working out of your home office where space is at a premium.

3. Pay bills online. Pay your bills online or set up automatic bill paying from your bank account. No envelopes - no postage - and not to mention no late fees if you are on an automatic payment plan. Most banks offer this service free so check with your bank.

4. Office Printer and Copier. Configure your printer or copier to print on both sides of the paper. Check your printer's owner manual to see if you can print on the opposite side of paper that has already been printed as you can damage the printer head on some printers. If you are in the market for a new printer, look for one that allows you to print double-sided. Remember to recycle your used printer cartridges. Major office supply retailers have recycling bins set up in their stores or even offer you money for bringing in your used ink cartridges.

5. Computer. If you will be away from your computer for more than 20 minutes, switch your screen preferences to go to 'sleep mode' if inactive for 20 minutes. The settings are in your control panel under screen saver, power management.

6. Lights. Switch to energy star rated CFL bulbs, they use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer. If you are going to be out of the office for a long period of time, don't forget to turn off the lights.

7. Faxing. Switch over to either eFax or another online fax service. You receive your faxes via email, another benefit when you are on the road and not accessible to your fax machine. For sending out faxes, these companies offer software which allows you to fax directly from your computer. There are a number of companies who offer this service at a very nominal monthly fee. Another advantage, you will not hear your fax machine ring in the middle of the night.

8. Power Strips. Make sure all your equipment is plugged into surge protection power strips. At the end of the day, shut down the power strip.

9. Green Vendors. Work with green vendors. Many printers have switched to environmentally friendly inks and paper.

10. Video Conferencing. Video web conferencing is gaining popularity for small business owners. It allows you to connect with the key decision makers even if they are located across the country or in the next town. You can provide training, offer valuable customer support and best of all, you will cut expensive travel costs as well as gain valuable time and less stress with not having to fight highway traffic. Start off with a couple of these suggestions gradually implementing all over time. Remember to have fun and feel good about doing your part.

If you have implemented some "green" in your company, we would love for you to share with us.

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Article Tags: earth, energy, environment, Green, recycle



Related Forum Posts
Re: Are you a Blue, Red, or Green? - Hum... a lot of reds responding... Business owners must be a very aggressive community. Now, I was surprised when I took the course personally to find out I was a Green, secondary Blue. Of course, not believing this, the first thing I did was turn to those around me to get their opinions on my colours (typical Green!). The only thing I can really say about STRUCTOGRAM is that it was fun to explore the depths of my social and physiological make-up... I did this a over a year ago now and still use it in my daily interactions (always be on your toes with Reds).
Re: 10 ideas to make you money in 2010 - I think Education would be hard to break into. Baby Boomers, Life Support and Trading Down, however, seem like good markets. As for Green technology goes, I don't think the business has to be entirely based on Green ideologies, but rather a business that embrace Green philosophies and use that as a marketing tool.
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Re: e-Commerce and e-Payment providers - When I came back to Japan in 1999 I sometimes used to ask my students if they would buy anything on the Internet and at that time most thought it was too risky. I'd encourage them to try by using well known sites such as Amazon.co.jp and also pointed out that using a credit card on a reputable site was safer than using it at a restaurant. I can't remember the last time I had that discussion or when the "tipping point" occurred in Japan. To answer your other question, I use Paypal for several reasons: 1. Brand familiarity 2. Easy to use 3. Free to withdraw 50,000yen+ to my Japanese bank account - a huge benefit (but maybe other systems also offer that...?) 4. Easy to cancel subscriptions On the down side, their transaction fees are quite costly, they are difficult to contact and when disputes arise you can sometimes lose even when you can prove via your tracking service that the disputed item was "delivered" to the customer's address!
Re: Domain name sugestion - Hi Anelly, Support-Box.com sounds very good to me. Easy and catchy.


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