From Guest Blogger Dimitris Papadopoulos: Four Simple Ways Your Business Can Go Green

A green business can help save the planet, make the working environment more pleasant for staff and reduce your outgoings.

But some businesses still believe that taking the time and effort to become more eco-friendly is too tall an order when they’re focusing on serious efforts to make money.

With that in mind, here are four simple ways your business can go green.

Carpooling

Carpool lanes are fairly common in the US, Australia and New Zealand — people sharing a ride into work are rewarded by speeding past solo motorists.

But with many businesses struggling to provide enough staff car spaces and a push to reduce carbon emissions, car sharing is catching on in the UK too.

And there are a number of online carpooling services that help organisations implement plans and encourage staff participation.

If you want to ease the frustrations of staff forced to fork out for offsite care parking and go green at the same time, this could be a reasonably easy fix.

Cars can become mobile social spaces too — so your new scheme might even create new friendships and collaborations that boost your business.

Outsourced HR

If you run a smaller company, you might need streamlined staffing solutions to remain competitive.

An HR department performs essential business functions — making sure everyone gets paid on time is perhaps the most important.

But using human resources software can reduce costs and admin time while ensuring tax compliance.

And offshoring through tech means you’ll need a much smaller HR team — meaning fewer resources are used and less waste created.

So using technology to take care of certain aspects of your business is another viable way to go green.

Car-free campus

If you want to get a bit more radical with your eco-conscious business plans, you can ban cars completely from your workplace.

Panjab University in India recently introduced a car-free campus in an effort to protect the environment, prevent noise pollution and increase safety for staff and students.

But you’ll need to ensure that your office is close to frequent and fast public transport links to avoid this policy creating clashes with staff.

The move might be viewed more positively if shuttle buses are provided for employees working outside regular hours and free bicycles are also available.

Making this bold move might be controversial, but it significantly improves your green credentials.

Electric fleet cars

Both the UK and Scottish Governments have recently introduced ambitious plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles in the not-too distant future.

And major manufacturers of fleet vehicles like BMW and Volvo are already producing hybrid vehicles that will make the gradual transition to fully electric transportation smoother.

If your operation requires company cars and vans, electric options are cleaner and cheaper to run — company car tax is much lower and generous government grants can be secured to offset a portion of the purchase price.

So introducing electric fleet cars could make your firm futureproof.

These four simple ways your business can go green can help you save cash and keep your eco-conscience clean.

Is your business green? Share your advice in the comments section.