Guest post by Greg Muender -- Your small business or startup is out to change the world. You want to make a mark on your industry. Whether that means being the best CPA firm in your region or whether it means bringing a new technology to market, your business revolves around that goal of change.

Yet, getting ahead isn’t the only thing you’re about. You give back to the community, for example, because it helps build your business’ image and because it’s the right thing to do. The same goes for environmental responsibility.

There are some relatively easy and inexpensive ways you can green your office, reduce your impact on the environment, and connect with customers who have environmental concerns:

  1. Recycle. Basic environmental consciousness starts with basic activities. Separating paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles into separate bins is relatively easy and painless. If your office building doesn’t have a recycling program, you can ask your staff to take turns taking a bin home, or even make a weekly run to the local recycling center. This doesn’t take much time, and it doesn’t take much money.
  2. Don’t waste energy on unnecessary lighting. It’s one thing to replace all of your light bulbs with CFC or LED bulbs. That can be an expensive proposition. Along with that (or as you’re slowing making those replacements) help train your employees to be energy conscious. Turn off bathroom lights, conference room lights, office lights, and more when they’re not in use. If you have the funds, you can even motion-sensitive lighting. During sunny days, open the blinds and consider shutting off some of the inside lights.
  3. Reduce paper use. “Going paperless” isn’t right for every business, and in some cases it can be expensive. However, you can quickly and easily reduce some paper use by moving things like time cards, expense reports, and supply requisitions to a simple Excel spreadsheet or other data management tool. Digital storage of scanned documents doesn’t require more than a scanner (which you probably already have anyways) and a file server or other storage location.
  4. Offer telecommuting. Allowing some job functions to be done remotely can be a win for you, the employee, and the environment. You’ll reduce your office footprint as well as energy needs. Not every position is suited to telecommuting, but many jobs can be done remotely using nothing but the individual’s home computer and Internet connection.
  5. Move away from bottled water. Offices are one of the major sources of plastic water bottle waste. You can get a Brita filter for your office tap for less than $50, and replacement filters are relatively inexpensive. Alternatively, you can pay for a water delivery service.
  6. Install a programmable thermostat. This may not be an option if you are in a larger office building, of course. A programmable thermostat lets you keep the building warm or cool when people are there, and reduce costs when they’re not there. These thermostats can cost less than $20.
  7. Talk to your utility company about green power. Some utility companies will let you use “green” power from sustainable sources for just a few extra bucks a month. While this isn’t an option everywhere, if it is for you consider taking advantage of it.
  8. Choose green products. Choose Energy Star compliant electronic devices. Use recycled materials whenever possible. In many cases, these are products you would buy anyways, and you may not need to pay much (if anything) extra to have a green version.
  9. Use recycled print cartridges. There are remanufactured ink and toner cartridges that cost less than the name brand and will work just as well. Using one remanufactured toner cartridge keeps about 2.5 pounds of waste material out of landfills, and requires less petroleum use as well.
  10. Help your customers identify environmentally friendly product and service options. Offer your customers the ability to have a greener consumer experience. This will not only reduce your overall environmental footprint, it may bring in some new business to your company by demonstrating your commitment to the cause.

Responsible companies are concerned about the world around them, and willing to take steps to make that world a better place. Even if you don’t have thousands of dollars to invest in green initiatives, you can do some of these quick and easy things to reduce your environmental impact. Not only will you be making the world a better place, you’ll increase your appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers, as well.

About the Author: Greg Muender is President of Ticket Kick, a California company that helps drivers get red light tickets, speeding tickets,  and other traffic tickets dismissed by helping drivers through the “trial by written declaration” process.