Tag: energy saving

by Incredible Planet Staff

6 Best Ways for You to Go Green


Homes

There are a number of people, communities and businesses that are interested in conserving and protecting the natural resources. The problem is that most are not aware of what they need to do in order to become more environment friendly. Put simply, being environmentally friendly simply means adopting a lifestyle that’s better for the environment. It is about taking small steps to make the planet a better place for generations to come. But, how and where to get started? Learning to be a tad more environmentally friendly can actually turn out to be easier than you believe. It doesn’t mean that you change everything; you can start small for making the changes a normal and sustainable part of your life.

Here are some of the best ways for you to go green:

Increase your awareness of resources

The first thing you have to do for going green is becoming more aware of the resources that you utilize in your daily life. You need to start paying attention to how you choose to travel, heat, use water and also other products that are made by manufacturing practices. It is only through awareness that you will be able to make choices that are environmentally friendly.

Start practicing conservation

When you have become aware of the natural resources you use in your life, it is time for you to start practicing conservation. This can be something as simple as walking or biking to work instead of taking the car or turning off the lights when you leave the room. There can also be some complex actions like going over your options when it comes to constructing your home.

Planting trees is a good idea

Trees are essential for our survival. We need trees for giving us oxygen and fruits and cleaning the air. They also prevent soil erosion and give shelter to wildlife. When you have a shady landscape around your home, it can go a long way in reducing your consumption of energy and also help in keeping your home cool during the summers. Therefore, it is definitely a good idea to plant small trees around your house and also work with local environmental groups for planting more trees in your area.

Conserving water should be a priority

It is crucial to conserve water because a lot of energy is needed for pumping water from lakes and rivers into homes. Hence, through conservation, we reduce the amount of energy required for filtering it. Some of the ways you can save water is by fixing leaking pipes, taking short showers, recycling water at home, collect rainwater for watering your lawn, using water saving appliances and keeping the running tap close when brushing your teeth.

Use products and services carefully

You need to be careful when using products and services and ensure they are environment-friendly. Figure out what products are made of fossil fuels or use in processes and look for replacements. Likewise, be cautious when you are hiring services. For instance, when you are thinking about hiring a moving service, look for services such as Movegreen.com that are focused on protecting the environment and don’t implement practices that can inflict damage.

Alter your travel habits

Flying and driving are two areas where you can make a real impact on the environment. Travel less, opt for more fuel efficient travel options and use direct routes for saving on fuel. If you don’t have to go far, opt to walking or cycling instead of using your car.

These practices can help you in protecting the environment in the long run.


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by Incredible Planet Staff

8 Useful Cost Saving Ideas for Small Businesses


Business

Managing a small business can be a tricky thing. One of the challenges that these enterprises face is minimizing the expenses of the operations. This is so that the business can have savings that it could use later on for expansion or other emergencies. These are some tips that will help your small business to do cost saving:

  1. Offer “Telecommuting Days” For Employees

With the advances in telecommunications and computer infrastructure, telecommuting is easier than ever for employees. This opens an opportunity for small businesses to cut costs. There will lower electricity and water usage, decreased travel costs and lesser need for a big office for the business.

Telecommuting is also beneficial for employees. This means they no longer have to wake up too early to go to the office every day. They will also spend less time commuting and traveling, which they can devote instead to other personal pursuits.

However, telecommuting is not yet too known by many. It has a large cost-cutting and productivity-improving potential that only a few companies have realized. The fact that telecommuting employees in the United States rose from 103 percent from 2005 to 2014 means that telecommuting is the future.

  1. Consider Buying Used Equipment

No one expects the business to buy everything brand new. If you could not afford it, consider buying those that have already been used. This is usually what most small companies do for storage equipment, vehicles, office furniture and even personal technology. Just make sure that you are eagle-eyed about any possible defect before you buy the item.

  1. Go Green

Being environmentally-friendly is not just your civic responsibility. It also gives you the chance to cut back on some costs. This is especially true for electricity matters. Electronic gadgets and other electrical devices that have been certified to be energy-efficient can save you as much as three-quarters of your power costs.

Other ways your company can go green is to limit the use of paper and using environmentally-friendly materials and supplies in the office.

  1. Adopt A Debit Card Payroll System
credit card 1583534 640
credit card 1583534 640

While there are still instances when checks are still needed, a debit card payment system is the best option right now for salaries. Not only is it efficient, it also lessens the burden on the administrative team. It also lessens the need to print checks as everything can be done electronically. Plus, this payroll system also has a decreased risk of fraud.

  1. Check Your Healthcare Offerings

If you want your small business to have savings, you need to make sensible changes to the healthcare arrangement. Healthcare is important, of course, as employees would want their company to take care of that. This is why canceling coverage should never be an option. One thing the business can do is to get tax-advantaged health savings account for their employees. This gets the control of the healthcare options on the employee’s court.

  1. Delegate Some Tasks To Micro-Contractors

Micro-contracting is perfect for employers who have small tasks that need to be done but do not want to hire a full-time employee for it. You can just hire a freelancer who will go on a micro-contracting arrangement with you. Once hired, you can delegate the tasks easily to them online.

  1. Come Up With An Energy Saving Plan

The monthly electric costs may seem small but for a new enterprise, it can already represent a large chunk of the spending of the business. This is why the company should implement an energy saving plan that will cut down electricity costs without adversely affecting the operations and productivity.

There are many ways that this can be done. You can start with the heating and air conditioning facilities in your office. Since you need to make sure customers, clients and employees are comfortable in the office, you cannot completely let go of your HVAC unit. One solution is to use a programmable or smart thermostat for the indoor climate control needs of the space.

You also need to think about how to maximize the insulation in the office. For example, double-pane windows and light-blocking curtains and blinds are effective in limiting the heat that enters the building through the window.

Also, do not forget to unplug appliances, equipment, and machinery if they are not used.

  1. Adopt Flexible Packaging

If your business is in some kind of manufacturing business especially food manufacturing, adopting flexible packaging can be a great way to save big from product packaging. Due to its lightweight and low cost of packaging materials, flexible packaging is much more affordable than other packaging options available to companies. Additionally, stand up pouch printing allows companies to do their branding and advertising much more effectively.  Short run flexible packaging is good for storage and transportation as well, making cost of both these activities low as well. If you do not want to invest big money installing all the machinery and equipment of adopting flexible packaging, outsourcing the company packaging to a professional flexible packaging provider can be a good idea.