5 Easy Ways To Be An Eco-Friendly Entrepreneur

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Nature Chair

Earth Day is almost here! This holiday has brought out the green in people since the 1970’s, but one day isn’t enough. The environment is affected most by the little choices we make every day. Planting a tree or recycling more are nice initiatives, but incorporating sustainable practices into our daily and business operations has an even greater impact.

As entrepreneurs we’re very busy, and time is money. You may think that your business is too small to bother about being green, but earth-friendly choices are actually good for the pocket book as well. And getting involved with local green initiatives can be a great way to build a positive reputation and valuable contacts in the community.

5 Easy Ways To Be An Eco-Friendly Entrepreneur

1. Go Paperless – Printer paper and ink are an unnecessary expense in this digital world. Except when it’s absolutely essential, create all documents and marketing materials in a digital form, and store them in the cloud. Send and receive virtual faxes rather than paper ones. Send your invoices via email rather than mailing them. Send digital PDF proofs instead of print outs. When you must create a hard copy of something, always print double sided.

2. Go Virtual – It’s nice to have face to face meetings, but driving or flying is expensive and leaves a huge carbon footprint. Thanks to free technologies like Skype or Google+ Hangouts, it’s possible to see and be seen by out of town clients without the hassle of traveling.

3. Go Gasless – Since most of us have local clients, it’s not always smart to avoid face to face meetings. But there’s still no reason to get your car involved. Fort Collins is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country, so why use four wheels when two will do? Not only will you save on gas, but you’ll never have to worry about finding a parking spot when you’re running late.

4. Go Shareably – Think before you buy, especially if it’s something that you only need for a few hours or days. Cohere creates the perfect environment for recycling things you no longer need or scoring things that would have otherwise been thrown away. Before buying that new office chair, pedal crank, or bunt pan, throw up a request on the Cohere Facebook Group (if you’re a Cohere member and have not yet been added, tell us!). Chance are, we’ve got one lying around.

5. Go Local – Being an entrepreneur has lots of benefits, not the least of which is complete control of your supply chain and the clients with whom you work. This probably goes without saying, but choosing local businesses for office supplies, catering, web hosting, graphic design, copy writing, marketing, legal advice, or happy hour is the single most important way to go green (Hint: a lot of these business owners sit right next to you!). Keeping it in town enhances the local economy, reduces carbon emissions from shipping, allows you to choose sustainable materials, and builds good karma.

Image via opensourceway/Flickr

 

28 Comments

  1. Marketing Ninja
    Marketing Ninja on April 18, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    Hi there! I’m not sure if my last comment posted! Thanks for the 2Freepass for coworking for Earth Day. Are you going to be around on Sat and check out our booth made out of 100% waste?

    • Angel K.
      Angel K. on April 18, 2012 at 4:50 pm

      You’re welcome! We excited to support Earth Day and your Waste Documentary with free 2 day passes to Cohere. Not sure if we can make it to the booth but can’t wait to hear all about it and find out who is going to win those day passes!

  7. smallbizatlanta
    smallbizatlanta on April 18, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Great post! Going green is important and there are so many options that make this process very easy 🙂
    SmallBizDiamonds.com

  8. nightowlspress
    nightowlspress on April 18, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    Quick & easy tips. Let's all do our part! 5 Easy Ways To Be An Eco-Friendly Entrepreneur (by @CohereLLC) http://t.co/WPvPTnAJ

  19. Locus Quo
    Locus Quo on April 20, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    Do you want to be a greener #entrepreneur? Here are some helpful tips to eco-friendliness http://t.co/X8CYblfN

  24. Company Folders
    Company Folders on May 15, 2012 at 8:31 am

    Thanks for sharing your eco-friendly business ideas! I was really surprised to see sharing on the list– it’s not something I often think about as an eco-friendly business practice. I try to buy green office supplies whenever possible, but it really is a better solution to only buy what’s needed and share the rest. Every single employee doesn’t need his or her own stapler, tape dispenser or pack of post-its if they don’t use these items on a regular basis.
    I like the idea of setting up some kind of supply kiosk in  the office where employees can come and swap supplies as need be. As an added bonus, everyone would get a little much needed exercise too!

    • Angel K.
      Angel K. on May 15, 2012 at 8:35 am

      We agree!

  25. sara1payne23
    sara1payne23 on July 18, 2012 at 2:29 am

    I dont agree that only digital marketing is enough because all the consumers have less interaction with the technology products on daily basis on many reasons. In other words, i would say that printing can be more impact leaving on minds and lead generating way to get advertised the products. Like consumers often see the different ads on the roads while driving the vehicles that leaves them long lasting impact in their minds.

    • AngelK.
      AngelK. on July 18, 2012 at 11:23 am

      Hi Sara,
      Agreed but this blog post is about eco-friendly ideas and printing giant signs that people drive by in cars isn’t eco-friendly 🙂

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