"Going Green" in the Workplace

1453 Words3 Pages

Going green in the workplace is a new trend in business. In choosing to go green in the workplace you may be challenged by an elevated initial start-up costs, however savings earned from this investment will more than pay for those initial costs in the future. Many people see this as a controversial issue, and granted it does have its own unique set of pro and cons, but if a business makes careful choices going green can prove to be very rewarding. Companies are doing this to save money on energy expenses as well as deploying it as a means to help reduce the carbon foot-print they are leaving behind. Whether you are considering building new or simply renovating, there are many verdant options that a company can use to reduce expenses. There is a price difference present between the costs of traditional and eco-friendly building materials. Typically these costs contribute about 2-3% towards the increase on price when choosing to use green building materials (Lawson, 2009). At first you think 2 - 3%, really is not significant at all, however if you consider many of the larger companies easily spends upwards of 5 – 6 million dollars on new constructions. That is quiet a magnitude of money; ranging anywhere from $100,000 – $180,000 in extra investments, depending on the options that are chosen. Typical loans don’t cover the cost of incorporating green aspects when choosing to build eco-friendly. However, there certain companies that offers energy efficient mortgages (EEM’s). One company, My Energy Loan (www.myEnergyLoan.com) does both residential and commercial eco-friendly loans, included in there services are ideas to help improve efficiency. They do an assessment and make suggestions on some ideas of improvements including lowe... ... middle of paper ... ...ach out to your customers. These methods are better for the environment, since they are useful and will be used by your potential customers. Another idea that could be used is printing calendars on recycled paper; this could help make an eco-friendly statement. Placing ads online is a good way to reach potential customers without wasting sustainable resources. In conclusion, going green in the workplace is catchy new trend. Choosing to go verdant can be a grueling task and one that is confronted with some unique pros and cons. Although making green choices come at a slightly higher price, the rewards that are earned more than cover these costs. When a company chooses wisely going green can not only help the environment, and reduce the carbon foot-print the company makes but it can also prove to be a very smart business decision that can be financially gratifying.

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