This article is courtesy of Jonathon Bailey.
It’s no secret that most of the biggest contributors to global emissions are businesses. Unlike individual homes, businesses produce huge amounts of waste, pollution, and other environmentally damaging elements, and this is something that desperately needs to change to improve the future of the planet. Of course, though, how can small and medium-sized businesses achieve a goal like this? To help you out with this process, this article will be exploring a range of different working environments and the changes that can be made to ensure that your business is doing as much as possible to keep itself on the right track.
Offices
Offices can seem like they would have very little impact on the environment. Without using engines or other fossil fuel-driven tools, it would make sense that an office is doing very little for the planet. Of course, though, the reality of this is different, with computers and other electronics having a significant impact on the world. This means that those who run their offices need to work hard to reduce the impact that they will have, and there are loads of ways to achieve a goal like this.
Automatic lights, timer-based plug units, and energy-saving light bulbs are just three examples of the sorts of tools that can be used to make sure that an office is environmentally friendly. Tools like these don’t cost much, and they can be supplemented by human actions when you train your team to work on keeping the place running on low energy.
Alongside thinking about power usage, it also makes sense to consider the waste an office can produce. Food, packaging, and other recyclables can be dealt with as normal, but you need to take extra steps when it comes to getting rid of old furniture and machines like computers. Almost everything can be recycled or destroyed, and this is worth doing when you want to keep your business in the environment’s good books.
Factories
Factories have a much harder time when it comes to their environmental impact when compared to offices. Not only do businesses like this have to run machinery, but they also often have to go through chemical processes that can be very damaging to the environment. Making a factory better for the planet can take a lot of work.
First, you need to think about the machines you use and the fuel that powers them. Many older factories use petrol and other fossil fuels to keep their machines running, but this can be bad compared to using electricity as your fuel. In the future, electrical machines will be able to be powered by renewable energy sources, and this is something that you can prepare for now.
As well as machinery, it’s also worth considering the pollution your factory produces. It’s practically impossible to avoid pollution when you are running a factory, and this is something that can make it hard to avoid having a negative impact on the world. Tools like regenerative thermal oxidizers can be used to help with this, destroying pollutants and making the air that comes from your factory cleaner.
Roads
Working on the road can be a lucrative business option. Many companies are able to make a small fortune when they operate like this, with taxis, delivery companies, and haulage firms all having their place in the modern world. Of course, though, vehicles are one of the biggest polluters in the world. This means that transport businesses need to work hard to make sure that they reduce their impact.
The fuel that you use for your vehicles will be one of the largest contributing factors when you are working on this. Combustion engines are bad for the environment, and while there is a lot of debate surrounding them, electric vehicles will always produce fewer emissions. As the world moves over to renewable energy sources, more and more EVs are going to hit the market, and this will make it easier for specialist companies to get the vehicles they need.
The Sea
Finally, as the last area to consider, it’s time to think about what life would be like working on the sea. The ocean can be a great environment for businesses, providing a bounty of different resources that can be very profitable. Of course, though, it can also be very easy to damage the ocean environment when businesses aren’t careful.
To start, most modern boats still use fuel like diesel to be able to move around. This is bad for the planet, while also polluting the ocean. Moving over to electricity for this can be hard, with the batteries required to run a large boat being extremely heavy. Using more efficient fuels can be a good alternative to changing over entirely.
Alongside the fuel you use, it’s also worth thinking about the potential environmental impact of lost cargo. Depending on what you’re shipping, dropping a container into the ocean could be incredibly damaging, and this is something you need to consider. This makes it crucial that you have a boat that can be kept very secure.
As you can see, making sure that your work environment is good for the planet can be a challenging process. Many companies find this hard, and it will often get worse as time goes by and your business comes across more issues. Thankfully, though, you have everything you need to make a positive difference.
