If you disagree with Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from The Paris Agreement—a ruling that places America at odds with 195 countries that signed the global environmental plan—you may wonderwhat you can do to help the environment in your own way.
You wouldn’t be alone. As of right now, 82 city mayors vow to commit to the accord despite Trump’s refusal, and 11 states created the United States Climate Alliance in order to honor the goals of the agreement. Meanwhile, the country’s major corporations are dedicating to self-imposed green laws to help off-set the federal government’s rejection of the accord.
What you can do in your business premise may seem insignificant compared to a growing coalition of states or the biggest companies in the nation, but every little bit counts! It helps that many of the small changes you make to your lifestyle have a huge impact on your budget.
Because let’s be honest with each other—we aren’t adopting these green habits for totally altruistic reasons. Knowing our decisions will also line our pockets with a little extra cash can help us stick to these changes.
It may be an exaggeration to say there are an infinite number of eco-friendly habits you could adopt, but it’s a near thing. You’d be surprised to learn just how many ways you can go green. In fact, sifting through all of the results can leave you feeling a little green around the gills.
If you feel overwhelmed, you’ve come to the right place. The first step is always the hardest when making a huge change, so that’s why we’ve made it simple for you. Here are 4 simple eco-friendly ways you can change your workplace that will end up saving you serious green in the long run.
1. Moderate Temperatures
Outside may be hot enough to ground flights, but triple-digit weather is no excuse to jack your air conditioner. Energy experts suggest you keep your rooms no lower than 78 degrees when you’re at office and need to cool off. To see real savings, go higher. Experts guestimate you could enjoy energy savings of 6–8 % of your typical bill for every degree above 78 you set your thermostat.
If you start to feel the heat, take a cold shower. It’s recommended you stick with colder water settings for everything you do, including washing your clothes. It’s estimated one year of using cold water when washing your clothes can prevent 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. What does that mean in terms of the money in your wallet? You’ll see about $0.24 savings per wash. It may be pennies at first, but you’ll have a mountain of them after a year.
2. Energy Star
Using your appliances and equipment at the right settings is one way to protect the environment. Another way is by ensuring your business equipment and appliances have an Energy Star Rating. This program was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency to denote products that meet stringent environmental standards. On average, the equipment that carry the Energy Star mark will use up to 30% less energy than those that don’t.
Older appliances and equipment are less likely to carry this mark, so it might be time to update your business equipment. These older machines aren’t just energy sucks — they can cost you a ton in order to operate and repair. Admittedly, investing in brand new equipment takes a lot of money up front. Keep costs low by checking out this resource to see if you qualify for any rebates that could help you lower the cost of an Energy Star appliance.
3. Car Pool
In a perfect world, we’d all use public transportation, but the realities of buses and subways can leave us preferring the privacy of our own cars when we need to zip around the city. Unfortunately, the emissions from our cars are one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases.
You can cut down on how much you contribute by carpooling. Talk to your co-workers or neighbors to see if you can organize a local car pool and share the responsibility of driving every other day. If you don’t know of anyone personally, there are services on the web like eRideshare and Divide the Ride that can hook you up with people willing to offer a seat. When you share the gas bill, you could save anywhere between $650 and $1,000 a year in fuel alone.
4. Buy A Thermos
It’s hard to stay away from takeout coffee with each new Starbucks creation. Sadly, the Seattle-based coffee company has no recycling program in place for their single-use cups —which means your cup joins 4 billion others in the world’s landfills once you drain the last dregs of your latte.
Start bringing a reusable thermos to Starbucks when you’re set on testing the latest summer flavors,and you’ll divert a cup at a time from the landfill. You’ll also save $0.20 at the till! That’s nothing to laugh at when you’re already paying nearly $5 for that frap.
Conclusion
These 4 tips may seem insurmountable at first, but like any habit, you’ll get used to them over time. Eventually, you’ll become so used to choosing the green option that you’ll never think twice about taking on a new environmentally safe change. Get your feet wet and test it out. You’ll be surprised to see the savings that come with being an eco-friendly workplace.