Ways to Conserve

Tips for Reducing Your Business's Carbon Footprint

Office Equipment:

• One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to reduce energy consumption.  Make sure that equipment not in use is turned off.  If the equipment has an energy efficient function, turn it on.
• Timers for equipment like photocopy machines and printers are available and are an easy way to reduce energy consumption.
• Encourage employees to turn off their computers when they will be gone for long periods of time.
• When purchasing new office equipment, consider buying equipment that is certified under the Energy Star (http://www.energystar.gov/) program by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Energy Star labeled products are more energy efficient.
• Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use less office supplies.  For example, when possible use the double sided print option when printing documents.

Lighting

• Make sure lights are turned off when a room is not in use.  Motion sensors are an easy way to ensure lights are turned off in a room that is unoccupied for a few minutes.
• The use of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) is a good way to save energy.  Easy to find, CFLs can reduce energy costs for up to 10 years. 
• Light emitting diodes (LED) is another option when purchasing energy efficient light bulbs.  Although LED is generally considered the future of energy efficient light bulbs, currently these are more expensive.

Green Building Practices

• Replace old, inefficient air conditioning units and boilers to save energy.
• Consider purchasing green energy from renewable sources such as solar panels and wind turbines.  Some organizations have partnered together and used their joint purchasing power to buy more cost-competitive green power.
• Use a programmable thermostat to better monitor the temperature inside the office as the temperature outside the office fluctuates.

Business Travel

• Reduce the need for your company to travel.  Communicating via web conferencing, phone and video not only saves money, but reduces your carbon footprint.
• When traveling, consider planning a multipurpose trip.  Also, consolidating multiple trips into one or just a couple maximizes your trip productivity, saves money and reduces your carbon footprint. 
• Consider alternatives to air travel.  Often times, alternatives such as train and automobile travel are overlooked and considered too time dependent; however, depending on your office location and trip destination these alternatives are just as accommodating as air travel. 

Compute Distances

Fuel burned by employees during their commutes is not technically considered part of the business' carbon footprint; however, reducing commute time can result in a great reduction of carbon used.

• Choose office locations near public transportation and areas with adequate housing options for your employees.
• Consider allowing telecommuting.
• Encourage fuel efficient vehicles with preferential parking.