Waste Not, Want Not: A Look at the Sustainable Workplace

Incorporating an eco-friendly effort is possible for any company, whether you lease your property, rent shared office space, or have a virtual office. Putting effort into creating a sustainable work environment has its rewards.

One of the best reasons to work on making your office greener is your customers. The same way clients are impressed with businesses with an upscale office in a good location, they appreciate companies that make the effort to reduce their carbon footprint.

Does this sound hard to believe? Take a look at this Entrepreneur article titled, “It’s Official: Customers Prefer Sustainable Companies.” The publication quotes a Nielsen study that shows companies claiming they used sustainable business practices had higher sales and grew more quickly.

So, it’s not just enough to use sustainable business practices; you have to tell people about it too. Institute some new policies and make sure to share them on your website and product packaging. 

How should you begin?

Being eco-friendly starts with conserving — conserving time, space, resources, and more. In big cities, space is at a premium, and that’s why commercial rents are so high. For a small business, these rents are often out of reach.

Communal Supplies in Shared Offices

One way to combat this problem is to rent temporary or shared office space. This is a smart idea for many reasons, but one is that you can share resources. Just one copy machine is needed for everyone. Also, one kitchen, one break room, one supply closet, etc. Every business does not have to invest in all the supplies needed to open an office. Even small-ticket items such as scissors, tape, binder clips, and pencils cost less when everyone shares. 

Renting temporary office space saves energy as well. A fully occupied space wastes less electricity, heat, and light. 

Virtual Offices Are Eco-friendly

You can save by using a virtual office as well. With this setup, you can keep your operations at home and use the virtual office as your official business address. You can have your mail sent there, you can get a dedicated phone line with voicemail and if you ever need to meet a client at your business address, you can simply book an office or conference room. These spaces are available by the day or even the hour.

The added eco-friendly benefit of a virtual office is that workers don’t have to drive a car or use public transportation to get there every day. Fewer emissions are released into the environment, and less fossil fuel is used.

How else can you increase sustainability?

How Stuff Works.com gave readers some suggestions, and one of them was to cut down on paper usage. While recycling paper is good, not using as much is even better. The University of Southern Indiana says that Americans use 85 million tons of paper per year, equivalent to 1 billion trees.

• Use the office coffee machine and a mug instead of buying expensive coffee that comes in a wasteful paper cup.
• Use a cup or bottle for water and other beverages instead of those tiny plastic disposable cups available next to the water cooler.
• Encourage everyone in the office to put their dishes in the dishwasher rather than hand-washing them individually.Dishwashers use less water.
• The Department of Energy suggests plugging all of your electronics into a power strip to switch off when they are not in use. Electronics and appliances still draw energy even when they are off.
• Conserve resources and save money by renting temporary office space or using a virtual office. 

Brag about your company’s green practices to your clients, and watch your bottom line grow. 

To find out more about shared office space and virtual offices, contact Premier Workspaces. We’re the first choice for temporary office space among small businesses throughout the U.S.