Maybe it’s part of your organization’s mission and vision, or maybe it’s something your staff expressed interest in. Or maybe it’s both, but regardless, your organization wants to find ways to go green. If going green can help save on energy costs, all the better. Here are just a few ways to green up your organization while potentially improving the bottom line.

1. Think solar. If your immediate reaction to this is, “We can’t have solar panels,” know that panels on the property aren’t the only option for this green energy source. Community solar is one of the best renewable energy sources out there, easy to enroll in and use, and a great way to save on energy. It’s also something to educate employees about, as it’s not just available to businesses, but to individuals (including many renters).
2. Allow remote work. The pandemic demonstrated that many organizations are not only capable of managing their workloads remotely, but they can also thrive. Furthermore, many employees prefer to work remotely part or all the time, where they feel they’re more productive than they are in the office. The green part of this: reduced commuting, reduced electricity needs in the office, and reduced need for garbage and recycling services.
3. Energy-efficient lights (along with turning off lights). To support staff still in the office, switch from incandescent lightbulbs to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lamps. The latter use anywhere from 25-80% less energy. What’s more, they last several times longer than incandescent bulbs, meaning they don’t need to be replaced nearly as often. To make them an even more reliable source of green energy, consider adding motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when no one’s in a room. These lightbulbs are almost as useful as a renewable energy source and will help save on energy costs while reducing overall electric needs.
4. Ask your employees. The best way to get buy-in from employees is to involve them in the process. Ask for volunteers to create committees to identify opportunities to go green, whether large or small. They could very well come up with something leadership didn’t think about and giving them recognition for making a difference lays the groundwork for other employees to feel empowered to make suggestions.
5. Use less For all the talk about today’s digital business environment, organizations still use—and waste—a tremendous amount of paper and other products (disposable coffee cups and water bottles, etc.). Do more with digital storage rather than paper storage and make it easy for your employees to recycle as much as possible.

Ready to start going green? Any of the above steps will help. And if you’re interested in more info on community solar, look no further.