Go Green Business Ideas Can Save You Money While Saving the Environment
Many businesses waste lots of paper every month and even more waste hundreds of dollars in electricity. Some of the most wasteful businesses are those that require transactions with customers daily. If you’re looking for a cleaner, and more cost-effective way to run a business, consider some go-green business ideas we have put together for you and your company.
Go Green Digital
- For short term notes, stop using sticky notes & notepads. Instead, use a digital writing tablet such as Boogie Board found at Staples.
- For long term notes to save, start using a web or app-based note system such as Evernote.
- Instead of using a paper-based filing system, try using a digital paperless system that backs up all your files like DropBox.
Go Green Payments
If you have a credit card terminal for your business, you probably have physical receipts printed for every transaction. Whether you’re based in an office or some other retail shop, you can avoid this. Offer emailed receipts rather than printed because the BPA within thermal receipt paper cannot be recycled. 4.3 million trees are cut down each year just for paper receipts. You can make a difference!
This not only helps the environment but also your budget. Card machine printer paper can be expensive while email is free. You might be worried about taking signatures without a physical receipt, but there’s Go Green Business Idea for that too! Our trusted payment processor, PayJunction, offers a paperless payment system with a digital signature capture machine. It’s quicker, safer, and green!
Go Green Cleaning
Every business owner, whether selling food or computers, has to worry about the cleanliness of their workspace. A lesser-known environmental hurt is the effect of cleaning supplies dumped down the drain. You could decide to go waterless by using mainly disinfectant or choose spray and washable rags over Lysol cleaning wipes. Using only eco-friendly cleaning supplies is healthier for your staff and your customers.
Go Build Green
For the entrepreneur who wants to start up their business with go green business ideas in mind, consider starting from the ground up. Try only contracting LEED-certified builders, use building materials that are least environmentally destructive, and consider solar power. Solar power panels sound scary to starting business owners because they are initially an expensive investment. However, they pay off in the end if you have a large employee base and a computer for each person.
Go Crazy
Here are some additional ideas that might help you out, depending on your business.
- Sell your product at farmers markets, eliminating the need for transportation across the country
- For retailers; sell clothing that has been made with recycled fabric
- Only sell beauty products from non-cruelty brands and without harsh chemicals
- Furnish your office by upcycling donations rather than buying new
- Get your ink cartridges refilled, rather than throwing them away and buying new
- Learn more tips at https://www.usa.gov/green
Go Out and Try It!
Whether you’re building your business from the ground up or trying to reduce your ecological footprint, there are dozens of go green business ideas fit for you. It doesn’t have to change the way you do business, just the way you’re affecting the environment! Want a payment processor that has the same mindset you do? Visit our FEATURE PAGE and see how we’re ecologically minded like you. We love to go green!
Do you have some other go green business ideas? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!
