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It might be a little intimidating at first. It feels like you’re asking to get fired when you tell your boss that his penchant for printing stacks of documents every day is harming the Earth. But it doesn’t have to be.
But if you’re an environmentally-conscious businesswoman, you might actually impress your boss when you show him how much money the company will saving by reducing waste. Here are some ways to convince your manager to go green.
Going paperless is the first step to not only decrease spending on paper products, but also save time, which equals money. Most jobs already file everything electronically but many bosses like the added accessibility of hard files. Printing everything in duplicate creates double the work and double the expense from all angles.
Those who back up every electronic file with a hard one are not only wasting time by unnecessary filing in two places, but are also accumulating more expenses like copy machine maintenance and printer ink. Eliminating or significantly reducing paper use can free up company money. Best of all? It’s great for the health of the environment.
Although you hibernate your computer each night before you leave the office, it’s likely still on and wasting energy. Because many computers have a standby, simply shutting them down doesn’t mean they are completely off.
Make sure to completely unplug machines before you leave for the day. This obviously saves energy by giving your company a lower electricity bill. And who can argue with the benefits of that?
Your boss might think that going through the company’s closet of old electronics that have accrued over the years is something to put off. But getting rid of electronic waste is actually a huge energy and money saver.
According to Energy Star, getting rid of unused waste not only frees up space, but allows for others to reuse or recycle the product. Suggest to your boss that your office should hold an e-waste recycling day, in which everyone brings in their electronics from home so that they can be picked up by an electronic recycling company.
Make a few minor changes around the office. Be sure that everyone has a blue recycling bin, but also confirm that the cleaning crew is picking up recycling. Nothing is more inefficient and wasteful than recycling going into the trash bin at the end of the night.
Also, ask your coworkers to bring their own reusable cups from home so that the plastic ones by the water cooler can be eliminated, ultimately reducing waste.
And as Tree Hugger mentions, ask your boss if everyone can work four long days instead of five full days. Or even ask to work from home for a couple days. This will reduce energy costs at work and save your company money.
We get it – it can be overwhelming to ask your boss to change the not-so-environmentally-friendly methods that have been in place for so long. But going green can actually save a great deal of money, and your boss just might appreciate your concern for both the company and the Earth.
