Starting from the ground up

Going green at work...where do you start?

If your business is just beginning to move towards a more environmentally friendly style of business, the choices can seem overwhelming. There is the paper you use, the plastic bags you send home with customers, the light bulbs that illuminate your office....

Stop!

Choose one thing. What does your company use the most?

If it's the printed word, start with paper.

If it's sales or manufacturing, begin with the packaging.

If it's a call center, perhaps lighting.

Take one thing. Just one. Change that.

Switch the copiers to 2-sided mode. Buy paper with a high recycled content. Place recycling bins next to the copiers and throughout the building.

For the next 30 days, just do this one thing. Combine the changes with education. Tell your employees (or customers or vendors) why you are making this change. Enlist their help.

Start there. You have already made a difference.