Businesses “Going Green” To Create Environmentally (and Economically) Sustainable Workplaces

Everywhere one looks these days, everyone and everything is “going green.” From new President Barack Obama touting the environmental and economic benefits of “green collar jobs,” to environmentalists urging the use of alternative “green energy” sources such as solar, wind, and hydro power, to families and individuals reducing, reusing, and recycling in everyday life, it seems like the whole country has gone green.

Even companies – from large global corporations to small businesses – are going for the green in an effort to create more environmentally (and economically) sustainable workplaces. A rapidly growing trend has companies emphasizing “green initiatives” for the adoption of greener business practices that will lead to more ecologically friendly and socially conscious relationships with both the environment and customers.

What is "Green"?

What does it mean for a company to be “green” (and we are not talking about a mixture of yellow and blue)? A company that goes green is preserving, restoring, or improving the environment by adopting green initiatives that will ultimately reduce its environmental footprint. Why should businesses go green? The most significant reason is to help preserve the world’s natural resources. Additional reasons to go green include:

• Setting a positive example for employees and boosting morale and company loyalty.
• Gaining a competitive advantage and enhancing business reputation.
• Reducing energy use and supporting alternative energy sources.
• Improving efficiency and lowering operating costs.
• Providing a cleaner and healthier work environment for employees.
• Minimizing the environmental impact in the local region.
• Reducing the risk of running afoul of environmental regulations.

Green Consulting

Businesses can do many things to achieve greenness – almost too many things. When to begin is easy. The answer is now. But where to begin? Companies that understand why it is so important to go green need a workable roadmap to follow in order to reach the goal of sustainability. As with other business efforts, there could be a need for outside consultants (in this case, "green consulting") to help companies attain eco-friendliness.

A relatively new field that has quickly increased in popularity, green consulting helps companies become more ecologically friendly while also showing management how the greening of business practices is a way to improve employee morale, attract new customers, retain old customers, lessen overall ecological impact, enhance company reputation, and earn financial credits for being environmentally sustainable.

The typical sustainable workplace assessment (or “Eco-Audit”) during green consulting usually covers an environmental baseline, solutions for improved performance, and a cost-benefit analysis of proposed green solutions. Once the scope of the problem is established through green consulting, targets are set, opportunities are identified, and action plans are put in place. While they can vary, most Eco-Audits usually address key areas of business activity, such as:

• Paper Consumption.
• Solid Waste & Recycling.
• Workplace Chemicals Use.
• Energy Consumption (Lighting).
• Business Travel & Employee Commuting.
• Comprehensive Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Green consulting also handles employee training and education: from energy-saving tips, to recycling properly, to conservation and reuse. While greening the workplace may seem like a daunting task, the more green consulting helps a company recognize the importance of investing in sustainability efforts and green initiatives, the better the chance the business has of increasing efficiency, preserving resources, and saving money.

An example of a company saving “both types of green” (environment and money) is Internet search giant Google.com, whose data centers have become models of efficiency. Google streamlined all data center operations under one executive and encouraged employees to consider the total lifecycle cost of purchases. Today Google powers its data centers using less than half the energy as the industry average.

A nonprofit association of data center professionals estimates that Google's industry-leading data center efficiency practices have saved the company at least $500 million in capital expenditures, $33 million in annual depreciation, and $17 million in annual electricity costs, impressive numbers considering that data centers can account for up to 35% of overall energy consumption at non-manufacturing firms.

Green Initiatives

While the savings may not be as impressive as Google’s, smaller businesses – and many businesses are smaller than Google – can save considerable money and resources by going green. Pre-employ.com, a background screening services and employer solutions provider, helped make the world a greener place in 2008 and will continue to do so in 2009. Pre-Employ.com’s 2008 Green Initiative successes included:

• Electronic queuing system for assignments eliminated paper based work distribution system.
• Package management and record retention maintenance system.
• Virtual Meetings saved fossil fuels through reduced auto/air transportation.
• SANS solution scalability reduced e-waste and electrical use while increasing productivity.
• Smaller, more energy efficient workstations produced less heat and saved cooling costs.
• Shredded paper recycling bins saved trees and used 50% less water for paper production.
• Recycled toner cartridges meant less waste in landfills and could be reconstituted by manufacturer.
• Plastic/Aluminum/Glass recycling bins:
  • Plastic bottles take up 1,000 years to decompose.
  • 20 recycled aluminum cans use the same energy it takes to produce one can from new materials.
  • Glass is 100% recyclable.

Pre-Employ.com’s 2009 Green Initiative goals include:

• Increase Virtual Employment capabilities for applicable positions, across all departments, to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.
• Institute Virtual Training for new employees, certification programs, and ongoing training to facilitate "Employee work at Home Program" for applicable positions.
• Institute Virtual Supervision concept for Sales and Marketing positions to facilitate remote work practices.
• Introduce Car Pooling/Ride Share program.

Now is the best time for any company – larger or small – to go green. Pre-Employ.com's “green team” of consultants can help any company achieve a more eco-friendly and environmentally (and economically) sustainable workplace through green consulting and green initiatives. For more information, and to receive valuable green solutions and email updates about products and services, please visit http://www.pre-employ.com/Green-Initiative.aspx, email info@pre-employ.com, or call 1-800-300-1821.

tahearn@pre-employ.com

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