7/31/2019 Telesure Md Thomas Creamer Greening Your Business

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GOING GREEN AT THE OFFICE IS A BREEZE

According to Telesure MD, Thomas Creamer, There has never been a better time to startrunning your business in a more environmentally friendly way.

The good news is that it is quite simple to make changes that will positively impact both theenvironment and your businesss bottom line.

Thomas Creamer points out a number of easily implementable ideas for running a greenbusiness, which can be put into practice immediately:

Switch off office equipment when it is not being used. This can reduce electricityusage by a quarter. Switching off computers at the end of the working day can savean added 50% on electricity usage, driving down energy costs.

Opt not to print. Encourage employees not to print e-mail messages unless it isabsolutely necessary.

Print double-sided documents. If you have to print, do so using both sides of a

sheet of paper. Set the printer to print double-sided documents as a default, or reuseold pages printed on one side only.

Use a fax-modem. Eliminate fax-related paper wastage by using a fax-modem,which allows documents to be sent directly to a computer without requiring a printedversion of the document.

Aim to hold more events via teleconference and webconference. This savespetrol and wear and tear on employees cars, and may also result in an increase inproductivity.

Ensure taps are closed tightly after use. Research shows that one drop wastedper second wastes 10 000 litres per year.

Recycle ink cartridges, glass and paper. Many suburbs have recycling depots,

making it easy to recycle goods. Find a supply of paper with maximum recycled content. One ton of 100%

recycled paper saves 17 trees and enough electricity to power an average home forsix months. Look for the recycling symbol (a circle of three arrows) on the packaging.

Shop around for suppliers who take back paper and packaging for reuse.

Change to green cleaning products as far as possible in the office.

Investigate greener products and services within your immediate area. The lessyour providers need to travel to deliver your supplies, the more environmentallyfriendly the relationship.

Consider refurbishing before replacing. Assess if office chairs and desks can berefurbished rather than replaced. This is a less expensive exercise and is better forthe environment.

Whether you run a home-based business, a retail business or an off-site enterprise, it isclear that there are basic tools you can put into practice to aid in protecting the environment,concludes Creamer.