“Greening your work life not only improves the health of the environment – it can also protect the well-being of yourself and your coworkers.” – Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Sustainability, green living, environmental benefits. Do we hear these words far too often that they’ve lost meaning in our day-to-day lives? If you find yourself hearing these words more than practicing them, this article is for you. Here are 3 easy ways to give sustainability the business voice it deserves:
1. Green Meetings
Hosting virtual meetings is a great way to reduce your company’s carbon footprint by reducing travel and the associated costs. Encourage employees to teleconference, utilize conference calls, or host a live web meeting whenever possible. Many are skeptical of the effectiveness of conference calls compared to face-to-face meetings, but the reality is conference calls save time and money while increasing productivity and reducing environmental stress.
2. Volunteer Initiatives
At BetterWorld Telecom, we encourage our employees to take up to two business days each month to volunteer at a non-profit organization in their community. Doing good is at the core of our mission statement and we’ve seen the benefits of adding volunteer opportunities both internally and externally. The UnitedHealth Group did a study on volunteerism and the results were astounding. 78% of people who volunteered in the last year reported lower stress levels, and 76% say that volunteering has made them feel healthier. In regards to working relationships, 87% of people who volunteered in the last year said volunteering helped develop teamwork and people skills, and 81% agreed that volunteering together strengthens relationships among colleagues.
3. Electronic Management
Practicing good electronic stewardship can be done by considering the entire lifecycle of the products you choose. The CDC suggests looking for EPEAT registered and Energy Star-rated products. Going beyond the brand, it’s important to engage in practices that reduce energy use in electronics, such as installing a timer on computers in addition to setting them to hibernate mode. No computer should be left on in the evenings and weekends when they are not in use. When the electronic is no longer valuable to you, recycle it so it can be useful to somebody else.
These environmental buzzwords need not only to be heard, but practiced in the business setting. Has your business implemented any of these simple tactics that pack a big environmental punch?
Posted in: Green Telecom Telecom Tips
