April 22 is Earth Day—which serves as an important reminder to do your part to protect the environment. Not only do green business practices benefit the planet, they can also help your business save money.
Tips like turning off lights and recycling waste are great places to start. If you’re looking to take your efforts to the next level, we’re sharing eco-friendly ideas from people looking to make a difference.
- Explore using recycled or sustainable packaging—consider using shredded paper scraps as your packing material, in place of Styrofoam peanuts.
- Incentivize customers to practice eco-friendly habits—offer a discount to customers who participate in a local Earth Day event (greenbiz.com).
- One retail business started a program called “change for bags,” asking customers if they would like to refuse a bag. For every customer that refused a bag, the cashier dropped a nickel in a jar. After filling the jar with coins, the retailer donated the money to an environmental cause (smallbiztrends.com).
- Replace wooden pallets with reusable ones to save trees (effectwebagency.com)
- When purchasing a new computer, consider purchasing a laptop instead of a traditional desktop computer. Not only are laptops more portable, they also use less energy. Don’t forget to recycle old electronics too (sba.gov).
- Save paper by eliminating paper payroll checks and paystubs. Explore options for communicating this information online.
- Buy used or refurbished equipment—RCI’s classifieds listing is a great resource for finding used and refurbished candy-making equipment. We get new adds on a regular basis, so check back often. Click here to view RCI’s classifieds.
- Did you know you can recycle and refill ink cartridges? Look for stores (local and online) that recycle printer cartridges—some will even offer discounts for purchasing a replacement recycled printer cartridge (stretchingyourcash.com).
- Involve your staff when brainstorming eco-friendly improvements for your business, not only will they appreciate the opportunity to share their ideas, they’ll be more likely to have more buy-in on the ideas that are implemented.
- Celebrate Earth Day by planting a tree (or trees) on your property or incorporate live, potted plants into your office space. Experts recommend one plant for every 100 square feet of office space (smallbiztrends.com).
We can’t think of a better way to celebrate planet Earth than by taking care of it! How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day this year?
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