Education and life-style changes can positively affect your environment and community. It can also be personally rewarding.Many companies are making serious moves to reduce their carbon footprint, and the “green” movement is sweeping the country.  Companies of all sizes can make a tremendous impact by encouraging employees:

1. Use energy-efficient bulbs for desk lamps
2. Power down inactive computers.
3. Lower blinds in the summer and
4. Run duplexed copies instead of single pages

Here are some other suggestions to help green up your company:

• Hire an environmental speaker to come and speak on the importance of environmentally friendly products and energy conservation.
• Turn the thermostat down 1-2 degrees.
• Offer a recycling program for office products, including paper, plastic, glass, cans and Styrofoam.
• Install automatic shut-offs for electronic equipment, such as timers for light switches or lights with motion sensors
• Promote and reward the use of public transportation or carpooling.
• Participate in and/or sponsor community environment activities, such as plant-a-tree day or clean up parks and streets.
• Buy coffee mugs for all employees and remove all disposable cups.
• Get your employees involved – hold a contest for ideas that can be implemented immediately and reward the best ones.
• Bring in lunch

Several large corporations have been able to effect tremendous change.

• Dell has become the greenest technology company on the planet.   They have produced an industry-leading recycling program, energy-efficient product offerings and a 100% green-energy powered headquarters in Round Rock, Texas.
• General Electric has doubled its research and development budget.  In 2008, their GE’s “Ecomagination” line of products generated $10 billion in revenue.  By increasing their R&D to $1.5 billion for technology to reduce energy consumption and waste products they expect to hit over $20 billion in revenue by 2010 in that division.
 These examples show what is possible when companies bring together customers, employees and other stakeholders to help the environment.
 
 
 Need more motivation? Here are some eco-statistics that will shock and inspire you:
 The amount of wood and paper we dispose of each year could heat 50 million homes for 20 years.
  Americans throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Placed end to end, they would reach the moon and back almost 20 times.
 If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25 million trees per year.
 If all the cars on U.S. roads had properly inflated tires, it would save nearly 2 billion gallons of gas a year.