And somewhere between composting and climate change, a lot of people realized that they could spin a few bucks by targeting the eco-friendly market. Several years and thousands of Priuses later, we’ve found ourselves inundated with a flood of “environmentally-friendly” products and messages. But in this riptide of forest-friendly marketing, how can we decide what’s not only good for our environment, but also practical for our businesses?
- Do it Green! provides a brand-free list of reusable and eco-conscious office solutions, like solar-powered calculators and refillable toner cartridges. A great list for business owners who want to focus on reuse and cut down on refuse.
- The Ecopreneurist divides the sustainable office into several categories in its post “Stocking the Green Office,” additionally providing links to some favorite products.
- Green blog Ideal Bite goes with a short-and-sweet list of sustainable products and also provides some interesting facts about office consumption during their Eco-Friendly Office Week.
- The Green Office works as both an information source and a vendor of eco-happy office products. They have an extremely comprehensive library of articles on green offices, supplies, and more in their Articles and Tips section.
- And finally, Treehugger steps up to the plate with a fully-featured guide called “How to Green Your Work” that even covers the commute. An interesting overview for people who are serious about greening up their business.
Why should your business bother “going green?”
Even if you don’t subscribe to the environmental agenda, there are clear legal reasons for minimizing your office’s footprint. For new developments especially, it may be necessary to issue an environmental impact statement in order to get permission to put down a building or open a particular type of business. Minimizing your energy and resource requirements from the beginning can make your impact statement more appealing to the state and save you money at the same time.
If you’re already in a tight spot (say, if you didn’t realize that the previous owner of your business was dumping hazardous substances into the local wildlife reserve), you might also want to get in touch with a competent environmental lawyer.
But definitely think about going green. Reuse and recycling could get you out of the red.
Join or start a discussion in Legalmatch's Business Law Forum if you have questions, comments, or tips of your own for better green office practices. We'd love to hear from you.
By Kate Beall
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