3 Tips to Go Green at Work

It’s Earth Day! And, in honor of Mother Nature, I wanted to share a few tips on how we can all save the planet one step at a time. You are already on the right track if you’re using social media to communicate with clients, customers and staff. Truly, sustainability and social media have a lot in common such as transparency, authenticity and innovation. However, I realize that sometimes we have to revert to traditional marketing and the traditional ways of doing business. Like having actual meetings in person, sending a letter to say thank you and printing a document for review. By reducing our carbon footprint we are fulfilling our due diligence to keep our clients, our customers, our families and ourselves safe and happy. If you really think about it, when we take time to save the Earth, we in turn save money, energy and time. Every little bit counts, and here are a three simple things you can do to go green at work.

1. Work Remotely

I know this may not work for everyone. And some corporate offices have strict policies about working from home based on confidentiality or simply because they need you at their disposal just in case. But if you are a small firm or a small business, allowing employees and partners to work remotely is one of the biggest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Fandom Marketing supports working remotely and it helps everyone save money, energy and time. For example:

Money: We save money when we don’t have to spend it on gas.

Energy: We conserve the air that gives us energy when we don’t use our cars and spread gas into the air when we drive.

Time: We save time when we don’t have to get ready to for a meeting or face a morning commute in traffic. We can use this time to work efficiently and be flexible.

Of course, we have co-working days a few days times a month for when we really need to get together. When we do get together some of us will use local transportation by using the services of Car2Go or hitching a ride with Uber.

2. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

Okay, this seems like an easy tip, but many times we just forget to do this, or we just throw recyclables in the trash because it’s more convenient for us (i.e. the recycling bin is too far). Make recycling easy for everyone by placing a bin for trash and bin for recyclables. If you are on the move, save your recyclables until you find a proper place to dispose of them. I usually leave an extra bag in my car for water bottles and when I get home, I toss them the recycle bin. Some places still take money for your recyclable items so why not save a little extra cash while you’re at it.

Other ways you can help reuse, reduce and recycle:

• If you like to take notes on paper, use paper that is about to go in the recycle bin before picking up a clean sheet
• Bring your lunch to work in a reusable lunch or canvas bag instead of using a paper or plastic bag
• Donate old office supplies to charity for others to reuse
• Recycle old electronics at proper drop off locations and never throw them in the trash. You can find a list if what you can recycle and where at recyclesandiego.org
• Use organic cleaning products to clean your office and only use what you need

3. Go Paperless

Although I mentioned paper in the section above, there are still several things that can be done to help reduce the use of paper while working. Here are some things we can do on a daily basis to make sure we save the trees!

• Make sure your accounting department (or you) opts to get your bank statements online. That way you can view them and pay them in one place
• Use Google docs to collaborate with your team and work on projects
• If you need to make an announcement or send an invitation to your staff, use email or electronic invitations such as eventbrite, Facebook Events or Evite
• Send and sign contracts electronically
• Email presentations instead of printing
• View documents on a full screen before deciding to print
• If you must print, only print the pages you need and print using both sides of the paper

Those are my tips for staying green while working. Here are a few ways the Fandom Team keeps it green.

“Google Hangouts is a great way to hold a meeting if everyone can’t be there in person, and it helps saving gas.” –@AnneMcColl

“Take notes on your laptop / mobile device instead of writing on paper?”
–@Hip_M0M

 “I rarely use paper – only my computer for notes. And when I need to save a paper something I scan and then recycle my papers.”
–@GingerAnderson

 “Use Twitter for top news rather than having the TV on or receiving paper newspapers. Send presents through Facebook rather than using paper mail or a car to drive to purchase a present and mail it. Save on gas by collaborating using a private Facebook group from the comfort of your home!”
–@Melonie

 “If you have to meet in person, schedule a lunch meeting at a restaurant or establishment that supports local growers and has sustainable practices in place when cooking and disposing food. Also, if you have children, teach them to take care of the Earth early on, make it contagious so they can help preserve the place they’ll be living and working in long after you’re gone.”
–@MiraMesaMom

What are some ways you like to promote sustainability or go green at work and in your personal life? Share them in a comment below.