Most modern-day businesses understand the economical and social benefits of operating in a sustainable manner. The challenge is how.
We are all creatures of habit, however small changes are easier to integrate and solidify in our every day practices and compound into a true environmental achievement.
Mission ‘Go-Green’
Ensuring your organizational mission statement reflects your values is essential in solidifying a long-term change, as your mission statement is reflected throughout your company’s day to day processes. A good mission statement should include your commercial and environmental commitments and responsibilities. This clarity facilitates both a positive social engagement and a desired environmental impact.
Engagement to Influence
For the most part, employees will be keen to engage with your organizational green-goals.
This engagement can be further encouraged through education on the benefits of sustainability, the establishment of a ‘green-team’, budgetary provisions for employees to attend and join in environmental events, a sustainable focus during onboarding, and incentivization and reward for practising sustainability.
Stay Energy Efficient
Energy saving strategies are key to impacting sustainability and the industry has responded with various strategies to accommodate this goal. Energy saving fluorescent lights and LED’s are accessible and cost-effective, with occupancy sensors automatically enabling environments to respond to their occupancy levels. Smart power strips, utilising sleep mode on computers and other technologies and taking full advantage of natural lighting will go a long way to minimising the use of artificial energy.
Conserve your H2O Consumption
Power is not only the main factor in which needs high attention when ‘going-green.’ Water scarcity is one of the largest challenges in global sustainability and the consumption of water within your business should be carefully considered and reduced where possible. This can easily be done on a small scale by investing in low-flow toilets and flow faucets in bathrooms and kitchens for a great return.
Proper Usage and Reduction of Waste
Reducing the amount of waste created by your business is imperative to creating a green workplace. Moving to reusable items such as hand towels in restrooms, and implementing clear signage to encourage and educate on, recycling and compost protocols will go a long way towards reducing unnecessary waste.
The ability to measure and track the usage of your company’s energy, water and waste are important for the long-term viability of all strategies. These are just a few of the ways a business can incorporate sustainable strategies to ‘go-green’.
Wurkspace7 is committed to incorporating as many sustainable and environmentally friendly aspects in each design as possible in order to reflect your values, as well as ours. Talk to us today to find out how we can decrease your carbon footprint and help you ‘go-green.’
by Natassja Wynhorst
