Wondering how to be a better eco-business?

GreenCupboards is celebrating its first anniversary this week. That’s a full year of operating as a certifier and retailer of eco-friendly household, personal care, and business supplies. There is a lot of talk about “green” business practices, but what can companies actually do to stay sustainable and remain environmentally-conscious? At GreenCupboards, small things are very important to us. It has never been about encouraging people to throw out every product in their house that is not green and purchase ours — that would utterly defeat the purpose of living sustainably. Instead, we feel that it is of much greater importance to use what you have wisely. As a business, we do our best to have eco-friendly practices, but we are definitely not perfect, nor do we want to impose our ideals on others. Here are a few ways that we strive to help prevent environmental degradation, and a few other practices that we are planning to adopt to have a greener business. The point is … every little bit helps. One major business waste is paper and other disposable products. While there are folders, notebooks, and loose-leaf paper out there made completely from post-consumer recycled products, it is just as crucial to conserve the resources that we already have. We try to limit our use of non-renewable resources (like paper). We keep as many documents as possible in digital form, and print only when necessary. Most of the time, meetings include digital presentations, rather than printed materials. This is a really simple (and cost-effective) step that any business can take, without the commitment to purchasing solely eco-friendly supplies. GreenCupboards also purchases eco-friendly supplies when possible, and prints business cards on post-consumer recycled paper with soy ink. We use packaging materials for shipping our inventory products made from recycled film called EarthAware. There are many other steps we can take in the future to limit wastes, but it is important to just work toward these things. Another major way that companies waste and/or can harm the environment is through the use of chemically-based janitorial supplies. The chemicals (like phosphates and phthalates) in many janitorial supplies are harmful to people and the environment. The other issue with mainstream cleaners is that they are highly diluted, costing both you the purchaser, and the environment. Highly diluted formulas require significantly more packaging that is often not recyclable. This also means that you have to purchase larger quantities, or purchase more frequently, to clean the same number of times as you would with truly eco-friendly cleaning products. GreenCupboards uses eco-friendly soaps with a higher concentration and recyclable packaging to reduce our costs and purchasing frequency. A third major way companies can take steps to go green is through the use of renewable or higher efficiency energy. This can include everything from green power strips (which do not pull electricity when appliances are not in use), to better window coverings, and everything in between. One of the easiest ways to maintain heat during the winter—without using any power at all—is to keep the windows covered. Buildings lose more power through windows (even if they are double-paned), than in nearly any other manner. Space efficiency is another energy saver; and it is something that many companies either do not think about or do not want to think about. One of the best ways to save on energy, is to take up less space. GreenCupboards’ office space consists of two offices with conference tables in each. Up to eight employees work in each space at a time, all on laptops. We only have to pay to heat, light, and air conditioning in two rooms. And as far as heating goes during the winter, eight people sharing one room creates heat naturally, almost enough without external heating sources. Through the use of laptops, we are also consuming less energy than through traditional desktop computers. It is certainly a non-traditional way to work, but the company culture fits well with the setting. The casual ambiance allows people to work easily in project teams or individually. The final way that businesses can go green and really cut back on energy consumption (and encourage their employees to do so), is through transportation to and from work. In cities (unlike Spokane) that maintain their 75 degree temperature year-round, it is easy to bike to work. Even aside from the cold weather, the ice in Spokane makes it dangerous to commute via bike during the harsh winters. But there are other eco-friendly ways to get to work each day. GreenCupboards encourages employees to ride their bikes, take public transportation, or carpool when they can. And it saves employees money too! Every employee that works for GreenCupboards rides a bike or carpools at least part-time. This is not enforced, it is part of an employee incentive program. Every employee feels that it is right to keep the environment healthy, and there is not a single employee that does not follow this. These are just a few easy ways that businesses can go green; but there are many other ways that you can more extensively “green” up your business practices.