What does a printing company know about going green?

With the passing of Earth Day this week I reflected a little bit on what CCS Printing has done to be more responsible stewards of the environment. When we started thinking about sustainability we realized it was going to be a lot of work and it was pretty overwhelming. It took months just to get a plan in place! Two years later, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.

Where to start

After countless strategy meetings I quickly realized that we could meet and talk about doing this forever and never get anything accomplished. Let’s just do it already! So we did and we started with what was easiest, recycling. Here are some ideas to help you start a robust recycling program at work:

• Make recycling convenient. Move the trash cans to an inconvenient location and install more recycling bins. Psychologically, people will do what’s easiest and fastest.
• Contact area waste management about industrial recycling vs. residential recycling. Industrial recycling allows for many more products to be recycled.
• Include recycling as part of your employees’ job description. It’s amazing how well people respond to an idea if you tell them that their performance is measured on it.
• Encourage your employees to bring in their own recycling, especially if you have an industrial recycling program at work.
• Make recycling fun. Hold competitions for the most recycling in a department or for the most plastic bottles recycled, etc.
  

So what else?

Energy conservation is so easy in the work place. Turn off the lights in the restrooms, turn off the monitors at night and shut down the copiers at the end of the day. All easy tasks, right? Walk around your office after everyone’s left and look at how many of these items are left on. Simple reminders above light switches work wonders for you and your co-workers.

You can take it a step further and address the lighting in your building. Talk to your facilities manager about converting your lighting to be more efficient. While you’re at it make sure that your exit signs are all LED.

If your business is a heavy consumer of energy, look into carbon balancing your office with the purchase of carbon offsets. Most companies that sell carbon offsets will also provide you with information on lowering your energy use.

Don’t forget your vendors

Going green is viral. Many businesses are doing it because their customers expect it. That means you should expect it from your vendors. Ask them what they are doing. Do they have an environmental policy? They should and so should you!

Good luck.