Doing Your Part for Climate Change

After all the high stakes meetings, frantic diplomacy, and grueling late night discussions, a deal was eventually hammered out at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, which for the first time united the United States, China, and other major powers in an attempt to cut greenhouse emissions.

“Taken together, these actions will help us begin to meet our responsibilities to leave our children and our grandchildren a cleaner and safer planet,” said Barack Obama, who became the first American president in many years to attend an international climate conference. “We have come a long way, but we have much further to go.”

While it’s up to governments to take giant steps, we can play our part as individuals and businesses. Whether or not you believe that we are sowing the seeds of our planet’s destruction, running a green business and cutting your individual carbon footprint will reduce pollution and lead to massive savings and a healthier bottom line. But you don’t have to move into a cave and stew lentils for the rest of your life, as there are many simple steps you can take. Here are a few ideas.

Going green at home

Save energy—Set your thermostat control a few degrees lower. Turn off lights when you leave a room, and delay switching them on at night. Keep your drapes open and let natural light flood your home as long as possible. Unplug all unused chargers and appliances.

Skip bottled water—Stop buying bottled water. Buy a reusable water bottle and use a filter to purify tap water.

Recycle—Keep your cell phones and computers as long as you can and then donate or recycle them.

Collect rainwater—Use it to water plants and/or grow drought-resistant plants in order to reduce your water usage.

Pay your bills online—It’s been estimated that if every household in the U.S. banked online, 17 million trees would be saved.

Spread the word—Environmentalists claim that winning the argument is one of the most important steps in the face of widespread apathy. In addition, the cumulative effect of many people adopting greener lifestyles will be dramatic.

Going green at work

Flexible working time—This can ease congestion on roads at peak periods, which helps to cut pollution.

Work remotely—Work smarter and reduce unnecessary travel. Use web conferencing instead of traveling to meetings, and encourage employees to use mobile communication and virtual technologies to help them work out of the office.

Buy green products—Consider buying products that are renewable, recyclable, and, where possible, locally produced. Choose green suppliers and goods with a low carbon footprint.

Improve energy efficiency—This is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of going green. An energy audit will help you identify areas where energy costs can be slashed. Turning off nonessential equipment when it is not being used can reduce energy usage by 25%. Leaving on a PC all night uses up enough energy to microwave six meals. Provide energy saving tips to your employees and look for renewable energy sources. Switch to energy efficient lighting.

Cloud computing—With cloud computing many organizations share software and server resources over the Internet. It is a more efficient use of servers, as companies don’t have to install and run their own computing infrastructure. Remote data centers provide server space and applications to suit your business needs.

Think before you print—Reduce the need for paper by encouraging the use of e-mails. Read messages and web pages on screen and always ask yourself whether it is really necessary to print them. If you do need hard copies, print on both sides to reduce paper usage.

Recycle—Recycle paper and waste and use less packaging. In addition, recycle old computers and equipment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 18% of electronic waste was recycled in 2007. Most of the remaining 82% ended up in landfill sites.

Online marketing—Maximize your message and reduce your environmental impact by adopting online marketing strategies, including social networking sites.

Green ambition

Every individual has an impact on the production of greenhouse gases and even the smallest change can reap large rewards. You may not want to boast about your green credentials, but don’t keep your eco-friendly activities a secret. Green practices can help you enhance your reputation and win new business. –P.A.