JoshThe pressure is on. As protests in London put the spotlight on climate change, and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg talks to the UK Government, there’s no way that any of us can ignore global warming or the damage we’re doing to the world. Our home.
Doing your bit to help the planet doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive, you can simply make a couple of conscious decisions and swaps. It could also save you money too!
1. Go paperless
Research suggests that office waste in the UK costs business around £15 billion pounds a year. What’s more, 70% of that waste is recyclable, but only 7.5% reaches recycling facilities. These numbers are shocking, but what’s important to note is how much these non-paperless offices are missing out. Capgemini Consulting found that digital companies are around 50% more profitable, generate 13% more revenue, and are valued 19% higher than their industry peers. Now that’s a reason to go paperless!
Swaps to make:
Paper documents & Diaries for GSuite – Not only will this save you money, but it’ll also allow employees to collaborate on the same documents, it keeps everything secure and increases productivity by making it quick and easy to find the file you’re after.
Leaflets for USBs – If you’re looking to promote your business at events, scrap the leaflets and paper based marketing materials. Why not giveaway USBs pre-loaded with your brochures, guides and videos? You can lock the data and they can be used and reused time after time. There’s even eco-friendly options to choose from, like these wooden flash drives from USB Makers >
2. Opt for loose tea and coffee
How many cups of tea or coffee do you drink on average each day? Well, it’s thought that people in UK drink 70 million cups of coffee per day! And, 165 million cups of tea! Just think of all those coffee pots, pods and tea bags. And, all of that unnecessary packaging.
Opting for loose tea and coffee not only means you can bulk buy and save loads of cash, but also reduces the amount of plastic and packaging you purchase and ultimately send to landfill sites. What’s more, the loose tea and coffee you bulk buy tends to be fresher and better quality than the standard shop bought stuff.
Swaps to make:
Tea bags for loose tea – Most teabags contain a form of plastic. So, opt for loose tea instead. It’s fresher, has more nutrients and anti-oxidants and generally tastes better too. What’s more the leaves can often be reused 3-4 times before being thrown into the compost.
Coffee pots and pods for recyclable coffee pods – Don’t just swap the freeze-dried coffee for coffee pods, opt for recyclable coffee pods. They’re much better for the environment and taste just as good. What’s more, when you have a better-quality cup of coffee, you tend to drink less and appreciate it more!
3. Energy saving lights
There are more ways to help the environment and “go green” than by simply swapping certain products out for new ones. An incredibly effective way of reducing your carbon footprint is to simply switch of the lights, the TV and any other electrical device. Don’t waste water unnecessarily, and you could even car share, or even better, get on your bike.
Swap to make:
Standard lights for LEDs and motion-controlled lighting – When it comes to lighting, either at home or in the office, there are different options that will also save you money. For example, you could opt for halogen incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The initial outset may be more expensive, but because they use less energy, your electricity bills will be much less than they were. You could also switch your existing lighting to motion controlled lighting, so the lights go out when no movement is detected for a set period of time.