Are you interested in making your small business a more earth-friendly enterprise but afraid of what it might cost in time and cash? Luckily, there are a few green decisions that are low cost or even save money. Here are six easy, bottom-line-friendly ways to make your small business a lean, green money-making machine.


Recycle. Recycling key items such as paper and cans is important, but your business recycling plan should not stop there. There are many things that can be recycled within your office, saving money while helping the environment. For instance, it is now possible to refill and reuse the ink and toner cartridges used on commercial printing and copy machines. If you are not interested in refilling cartridges or worry about the mess, you can also buy refilled and recycled cartridges at a discounted price.

Use energy efficient products. From light bulbs to desktop computers to microwaves, there are a variety of energy efficient products on the market. Many of these products cost about the same as their less efficient counterparts. Best of all, they will lower your energy bill, keeping your overhead lower and lessening your ongoing operating expenses.

Go digital. In most small businesses, there are areas where you can use digital means instead of paper. For instance recordkeeping is easier, less time-consuming, and infinitely greener when you switch to an entirely digital program. This not only reduces paper waste, it reduces clutter and the chance that an important document will get lost in the shuffle. This is just one of many areas in which your business can save money, time, and the forests by choosing a digital option.

Plug into a power strip. Did you know that many electrical appliances use energy even when turned off? Luckily, there is an easy way to avoid this. Plug your less used products into a power strip and then simply switch it off when not in use. This will reduce your energy usage without any additional time or expense.

Donate unwanted items. While it is often easier and quicker to just throw things away, many items that are routinely replaced in an office, such as furniture, could be given to a charity and reused. This will reduce the size of our landfills as well as the amount of new products that need to be manufactured. Many charities will pick up discarded items at your office, reducing the time and fuel this option requires.

Turn off lights. This is a simple option, but one that is unfortunately rarely used in most offices. You can begin saving energy by sending out an office-wide email asking employees to turn off lights when they leave a room. For added reinforcement, put a small note over every light switch reminding people of the importance of saving energy.

There are many benefits to implementing these changes in your small business. Not only will you save energy and waste, you will save money with most of these options. Plus, being a green business may attract more customers and help you retain the ones you already have. There are so many benefits to being green that there is no reason not to start immediately. By the way, please do check out my latest article on the top 10 eco friendly company logo designs.