Taking Your Business Green

p class=BodyA green business is a business that cares about its profitability while at the same time is constantly attentive to the impact the business has on the environment./pp class=BodyAs noted in a a href=http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/study-certified-green-companies-238203... report UCLA’s newsroom/a, contrary to the idea that environmentalism hurts economic performance, a UCLA-led study has found that companies that voluntarily adopt international green practices and standards have employees who are 16 percent more productive than the average. Professor Magali Delmas, an environmental economist at a href=https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability/a and the a href=http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/UCLA Anderson School of Management/a, and Sanja Pekovic from France's University Paris–Dauphine conducted a study how a firm's environmental commitment affects its productivity./pp class=BodyAdopting green practices isn't just good for the environment, Delmas said. It's good for your employees and it's good for your bottom line. Employees in such green firms are more motivated, receive more training, and benefit from better interpersonal relationships. The employees at green companies are therefore more productive than employees in more conventional firms./pp class=BodyThe higher-productivity effect stems from employees' appreciation for their workplace, Delmas said. In addition, educating employees about a firm's environmental commitment and requiring employees to work together across departments come into play to reduce the organization's environmental impact./pp class=BodyThe Small Business Administration (“SBA”) has made available an outline including links to resources that provide information on how to make your business more “green.” The following is a partial list of what the SBA has made available at its website. /ppstrongBecome Energy Efficient/strong/ppThe a href=http://www.sba.gov/content/energy-efficiencySmall Business Guide to Energy Efficiency/a includes tips, advice, and resources to help you save on energy costs: from energy saving tips to information on grants, loans and incentives available for making energy efficient upgrades to your facilities./ppstrongAdopt Environmentally Sound Business Practices/strong/pulliDevelop an a href=http://epa.gov/ems/Environmental Management System/a to enable your organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency./liliComply with a href=http://www.sba.gov/content/environmental-regulationsEnvironmental Regulations/a/lilia href=http://www.sba.gov/content/water-conservationConserve water/a/liliExplore a href=http://www.sba.gov/content/green-commutingGreen Commuting Options/a/liliReduce your business’s a href=https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/signpost/cc.htmlGreenhouse Gas Emissions/a/li/ulp class=BodystrongImprove Your Waste Management System/strong/pulliLearn how to a href=http://epa.gov/recycle/Reduce, Reuse and Recycle/a within your business/liliIdentify whether your business produces a href=https://www.epa.gov/hwHazardous Waste/a/liliCheck your municipal and state waste management websites for more information/li/ulp class=BodystrongInvest in Renewable Energy/strong/pulliReview this site on a href=https://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/small_business/sb_guidebook/small... Energy for Small Business Owners/a/liliBrowse the a href=http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/guide_to_renewable_energy.pdfGuide to Renewable Energy/a to determine what system is best for your needs/liliSearch a href=http://www.dsireusa.org/DSIRE/a for an energy rebate program in your state/liliJoin the EPA’s a href=https://www.epa.gov/greenpowerGreen Power Partnership/a for opportunities to increase renewable energy use/li/ulp class=BodyAs a href=http://www.lifescript.com/well-being/articles/0/14_eco-friendly_business... observes/a, small and large businesses need to impress consumers and clients by implementing “green” practices. Make it a company-wide goal to decrease impact on the environment. Encouraging every person in the company to present ideas makes everyone accountable and interested in the office going green. Larger companies may seek outside consulting firms who specialize in eco-friendly business practices. The greening of the company may take place in stages with a plan of action put into place./p