Is Going Green at Work Easy To Do?
Is going green at work easy?
How long will it take our business to go green?
If it’s easy, why haven’t so many small businesses done it?
These are some of the questions I’ve been asked in the past by small business owners, operators, or individuals interested in going green at work but weary of it being a huge undertaking.
The answer I give in most cases is – it can be as easy or as hard as you make it, just like anything else in life. This is not to be flippant, but it is to point out that going green is no different than any other project that your organization would undertake. Meaning, there are different levels, and the complexity depends on the type of project you are implementing.
These questions, however, are mainly asked by individuals who would like to get started but have been put off by the fact that larger businesses employ one or more full-time staff that focus on going green and environmental sustainability.
They wonder:
How can out little three-person shop start going green when there are so many other priorities?
How can our start-up, that is focused on growing sales and putting systems in place , even begin to think about going green?
If it were a small project that would bring us a lot of benefits, great, but a lot of going green projects seem to be longer term undertakings.
In all of the above cases – and likely in the case of your workplace – there are levels of projects that can be implemented. Just as with any other potentially large change, it pays to start small and build on the successes, until there is enough momentum for going green to be part of everyday operations.
I have addressed the many benefits of going green and environmental sustainability at work in past articles, so I won’t go into the many reasons a small business would benefit from going green here. If you haven’t checked those out, be sure to do so on the Eco-Coach blog page.
As for going green at work, there are some easy steps that you can start with. Three examples are: setting up an office reuse center, implementing a recycling challenge, or optimizing your use of natural lighting. These examples apply across most types of businesses and industries, and can help reduce resource use and save money. They also don’t take a lot of time to do.
With the right approach, you can spend just three to five hours a week and in 60 days, you can plan, implement and track and even communicate a going green project. This means that if you start today, two months from now, you can share your successes with your external stakeholders and start attracting clients or customers (depending on whether you are B2C or B2B) who are aligned with your organization’s values. It also means that in as little as two months, you can start building on the success of that first project and add another one.
The more you do, the more momentum you will build, and in a year or two, you could feasibly incorporate green practices as part of your organizational culture. This would be a huge win for your brand, for your staff, and for your customer or clients – not to mention for your bottom line!
So what are you waiting for? Get started today! To make it even easier, be sure to grab your copy of our FREE The Beginner’s Guide to Creatively Grow Sales by Going Green, which lists over 50 low-cost projects and resources that you can pick from.