Sweet Greens

It’s no secret that the continued use of paper in the world is a growing problem for the planet. In 2019 alone, the United States consumed around 73.1 million tons of paper, and some of that paper will have gone to waste for various reasons.

There was once a time when a paperless office was nothing more than a ploy by some companies to persuade consumers they are ethical at heart. Nowadays, the business world realizes the scale of the problem, irrespective of an enterprise’s size.

How Bad Is the Problem?

You’re likely reading this blog post today because you want to make a significant improvement to your firm’s green credentials. But, you’re possibly not sure why you need to ban paper from your business.

After all: there are loads of trees in the world for producing paper, right? Let’s take a look at the scale of the problem, according to some calculations from the Conservatree website:

• One ream or 500 sheets of paper equates to around 6% of a tree;
• One tree produces approximately 17 reams of paper;
• One ton of non-recycled paper is the equivalent of 12 trees.

The earlier mentioned figure of 73.1 million tons of paper used in the United States alone equates to approximately 877.2 million trees. With all that in mind, here are some realistic ways to stop using paper – many of which can even save your business money:

1. Issue Electronic Invoices to Customers

The first practical step you can take to stop consuming paper in your business by ceasing the practice of issuing paper invoices to your customers. It’s so easy to generate electronic invoices from most modern accounting systems.

Plus, email delivery of invoices typically takes seconds, and the cost of invoicing each customer is minimal compared with the traditional alternative, so your business will save on postage costs.

2. Manage Your Payroll Online

If you employ several people on a shift basis, you’ll undoubtedly want to monitor their time and payments to ensure efficiency. Stop using paper records as evidence of their shift work, and start managing your payroll online using one of the many different available solutions.

Also, take a look at these 8 payroll reports every business manager needs to know so you can ensure your business isn’t wasting money or incorrectly paying its staff.

3. Use Only Recycled Card for Product Packaging

Does your business sell physical products? If it does, you’ll undoubtedly have each product packaged using a mix of card and cardboard. Preventing the use of such material isn’t an option as it protects your products in transit before they reach consumers.

However, you can opt for 100% recycled product packaging and not use any plastic with the packaging so that it can be wholly recycled by the end users.

4. Don’t Include Paper Instructions With All Products

You want to make sure that your customers know how to use your products when they purchase them. Plus, you also want to let them know about your firm’s warranty and returns policies.

Usually, you’d include some paper supplements inside of the product packaging with that information. Instead, you should direct your customers to view the information online. For example, you could ask them to scan a QR code that redirects them to the documents.

5. Notify Suppliers of Your No-Paper Policy

It might surprise you to learn that many companies still issue their business customers with a raft of paperwork. For instance, they might incorporate paper-based shipment manifests with each order and several sheets of printed invoices or delivery notes.

With that in mind, you should open a dialog with your suppliers and inform them you’ve got a no-paper policy at your business. Most, if not all, suppliers should be accommodating of your policy and only send you electronic documents.

6. Provide All Customer Documents Electronically

Receipts, returns notes, contracts, and other paperwork are often printed out and sent out or given to customers for their records. As you can appreciate, such processes generate an enormous amount of paper each year.

Your business can cease those processes and elect to provide all customer documents electronically. You could even set up an online platform for your customers where they can download any documents at their leisure.

7. Use a Fax to PDF System

Believe it or not, some organizations still use fax machines and have fax numbers. If your business has valid reasons to use faxes, did you know you can partially digitize such communications?

These days, it’s possible to use software or online solutions that receive faxes and convert them into PDF documents. With many of those solutions, it’s as simple as diverting your fax number to an online fax service provider.

Some unified communications systems will automatically email those PDF faxes to one or more recipients or scan the details into a CRM system.

8. Don’t Take Telephone Messages on Paper

Everyone at your business isn’t going to be at their desks all the time. If someone gets a phone call and a colleague picks up the call, they might need to leave their workmate messages from their callers.

The traditional way of relaying that information is by leaving a paper note at their desk or something like a Post-It Note. But, that obviously means using paper. In those circumstances, messages can get transmitted electronically.

For example, they could send their colleagues brief email messages. Or, if everyone uses a unified communications solution, they could pass on messages through those systems.

Apart from not using paper, another advantage of electronic telephone messages is that the call message recipients always record the call to hand. In contrast, paper notes can end up getting lost or ending up in the wastepaper basket.

9. Return to Sender All Postal Communications

Sending all postal communications back to their senders might seem like a somewhat extreme and potentially time-consuming yet annoying process. But, it’s an excellent way of enforcing your no-paper policy at your business.

The trouble that many businesses face, even small enterprises, is how they receive large volumes of paper-based communications in the mail every day. Some of those communications are junk mail, and others provide out-of-date information.

Refusing to open all postal communications will send a clear message to your suppliers and other people that you operate a strict no-paper policy at your organization.

You might be wondering what could happen if some of those communications come from government sources. The reality is official paperwork from the government often gets communicated online, either through online portals or via email.

10. Set up Recycling Stations at Your Premises

The above ideas will reduce your paper usage and waste significantly. However, there will be times where paper is unavoidable in your organization. For example, products your business buys will have paper, card, or cardboard contents.

Employees might purchase sandwiches from nearby food outlets, and those sandwiches might be contained in a protective card-based enclosure. What can you do about such situations, you might ask yourself?

With such unwanted paper products entering your premises, you can make sure that it all gets recycled. It’s easy to set up recycling stations at your premises for all your employees to use.

What’s more, your staff could even recycle other items like plastic and glass. You may need to pay for such recycling provisions, but you can usually offset the costs against your organization’s tax bills each year.

According to Earth Policy Institute, the earth’s temperature has risen by 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the industrial revolution. This means that if we don’t reduce carbon emissions, the temperatures will continue increasing. When not controlled, the carbon emissions will affect our plants, animals, the environment, and well-being. For these reasons, it’s vital that we live sustainably.

If you want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, you should start by thinking about the choices you make on a daily basis. Below are four helpful tips on how to live a more sustainable life.

Travel more sustainably

Air travel accounts for approximately 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, using the train or carpooling may be better alternatives. However, if you have to travel by plane, you may want to search for flights that use solar panels to reduce their carbon emissions.

Go reusable

The 3 Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle are crucial to sustainable living. Recycling is one of the best ways to reduce the trash in our landfills. Unfortunately, only 23% of plastic bottles are recycled. When left in landfills, these bottles can take hundreds of years before they can fully decompose. This is why you should use reusable containers.

Here are three reusable things that you should consider:

• Instead of using plastic bags, use reusable fabric or canvas shopping bags
• Reuse PVC water bottles instead of plastic water bottles
• Use reusable silicone, stainless steel, or glassware containers instead of Styrofoam containers

Apart from saving the environment, using these reusable items will help you to save more money in the long run.

Eat less meat

Meat is the main source of protein, and some people cannot stop their urge for ribs or steaks. However, the meat industry does more harm to the environment than emissions from vehicles. Carbon emissions from the livestock industry are very high. For instance, cows alone emit more than 100kgs of methane every year. This greenhouse gas is 23 times heavier than C02.  Additionally, meat processing companies use millions of gallons of water every year.

While not eating meat will help to protect the environment, how will you meet your protein needs?

There are alternative plant-based proteins that will provide your body with proteins, minerals, and vitamins. According to a No Evil Foods review, plant-based meats are great meat alternatives that can reduce climate change.

Grow your food

Visiting your local grocery store for a new batch of vegetables and fruits may be more convenient. However, a lot of energy is used to grow and deliver these products from the farm to the store. According to BBC News, the production of these foods contributes a ¼ of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The production of these foods harms the environment through the use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, there’s machinery needed to plant, grow, and also harvest the crops. Finally, there are fuel emissions when transporting the products to the store. Therefore, starting a garden can limit the emission of harmful greenhouse gases.

Changing your habits a little at a time will help you to lead a more sustainable life. Start your journey to sustainability by incorporating some or all the above ideas regularly. Whether it’s traveling sustainably, recycling items, adopting an eco-friendly diet, or growing your food, choose what works best for you and lessen your impact on the environment.

Helping the environment is all about the lifestyle choices we make. Many people talk about a vegan diet being the perfect way to boost their health and the planet at the same time, but there are a wide variety of other practices that you can incorporate to benefits yourself and the world around you. Let’s show you some approaches that may help. 

Purchasing from Ethically-Minded Suppliers 

Of course, we could go to the farmers’ market to purchase food to minimize the transportation of goods, but it is also important to choose suppliers that have the ethical component as part of how they do business. For example, if you are looking to buy a product that benefits your health, like CBD gummies there are a wide variety of vegan-friendly options, especially as gummies may contain gelatin.

Eating Low-Impact Foods 

Low-impact foods are usually plant-based, such as legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. Low-impact foods will minimize the environmental impact of overall food production and form part of a strong sustainable diet. 

Growing Your Own Food 

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, growing your food may not be a practical option for everyone, but if you are trying to contribute to the health of the environment, even growing some herbs on your fire escape can improve the quality of oxygen in your immediate area. This will reduce the toxicity in your body you are breathing, resulting in higher energy levels. 

Cook Only What You Will Eat 

We throw 40 million tons of food away every year. Being conscious of how much you need to eat is a little thing that can make a massive difference. When you think about all the foods that could go to starving people and being aware of how much food your body requires you can cut down your portions, which will also have a positive impact on your health and your weight. But if you have any food waste, such as scraps, you can always compost them. You can easily purchase a food composter to go in your home, which provides nutrient-dense soil for your plants, but will also help you to grow organic vegetables and fruits that are superior to store-bought brands. 

Trying Edible Insects 

Something that is somewhat controversial, but if you are someone who feels the negative impacts of a vegan diet because you’re not eating enough, you may want to go down this route. It is still relatively new, but there are significant benefits to eating edible insects. Insects are rich in iron and protein and can provide a solution to world hunger. But from the sustainability point of view, they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide stable income to farmers within developing countries. And while the idea may sound disgusting, 80% of the world’s population includes insects as part of their staple diet! 

Reducing Your Meat and Dairy Intake 

If you are someone who eats meat, and you want to impact the planet in a more positive way without going vegan, you may want to find a balance. Many people have meat-free days, and there are other ways you can get your protein intakes, such as legumes and lentils. However, if you are someone that requires a significant amount of protein in your diet, either due to a health condition or you are exercising, you can always choose locally grown or seasonal foods or purchase organic grass-fed meat, as this can protect water and soil. Pesticides and other chemicals used in traditional farming run into water and soil, which decreases their nutritional benefit, which then has an impact on the quality of our food. Organic grass-fed meat will have a higher level of Omega-3 fatty acids than traditional meats. 

Cooking Your Own Foods 

One of the best ways to make more sustainable choices in your life is to pick locally grown food in-season, which helps you to make more sustainable choices. More people are eating at home because of the current environment, which has seen a positive impact on their finances, which is always welcome in any money-hungry household. But when you start to recognize just how much you actually need to consume in comparison to what you think you consume, it is worth spreading the message. 

It is important to spread the word to help the environment. We can all try different approaches, but we have to remember that we can’t do everything to save the planet. Even choosing one or two of these components will have a positive impact.

Spring is the perfect time of year to welcome wildlife into your backyard. Even if you only have a small outside space, such as a balcony, you can still attract local birds and critters. In order to create the perfect eco-friendly wildlife garden, use recycled materials where possible to build feeders and habitats. You could also stock your outside space with local plants and flowers for pollinating insects. This way you can help maintain the ecosystem while encouraging some wild visitors. Here are a few tips on how to create an eco-friendly wildlife garden. 

Provide a water source

All animals, birds, and grubs will appreciate a water source. If you have space, you could consider building a pond. This will also make a stunning feature for your yard. Keep the water clean using filters or Tsurumi pond pumps in order to provide a healthy environment for fish and amphibians. Alternatively, you could DIY a small birdbath from recycled materials or upcycle old household items and fill them with water.

Local plants and flowers

For an eco-friendly garden, you should be mindful of the plants you choose. Opt for local plants and flowers that will grow well without disturbing the natural ecosystem. Avoid invading or non-indigenous plants. Colorful pollen-rich flowers will attract the right insects such as bumblebees and butterflies. Here are few tips on how to attract pollinating insects with native flowers. If you want to avoid other unwanted visitors always opt for organic pesticides rather than harmful chemicals.

Build homes for critters

As well as building sustainable exterior features for your home, why not add a few for visiting critters as well? You could DIY a bee hotel out of old bits of untreated wood. Simply drill a few holes in a log for a mini version, or you could go all out and build a bigger structure with different pieces of wood and bamboo. Set up a rock garden for grubs and small mammals. With a few small plants, this can also make an attractive feature.

Create a lawn for nature

Many gardeners overlook the lawn when it comes to wildlife, but it’s actually an important feature. Create a wildlife-friendly lawn by adding patches of meadow. Pollinators will like these. Let your lawn grow long and more flowers will start to appear. Longer grass makes a nice home for beetles and smaller animals. It gives them a place to hide and forage.

DIY feeders

Put out food for your wild visitors. Try making feeders using recycled materials and leftover food from the house. A simple bird feeder can be made from a recycled plastic bottle or mason jar, for example. Check out these DIY bird feeder ideas. You can even make a butterfly or hummingbird feeder with an upturned glass bottle filled with sugar water. Fill your wildlife garden with these upcycled creations, and you’ll soon get plenty of visitors. If you help encourage the ecosystem in your backyard, you can enjoy spotting local animals and birds.