Going green is essential for entrepreneurs hoping to make it big in the 21st century. Gen Z cares about your green credentials, so if you refuse to adapt, your future customers won’t want to buy your products or services. There are many eco-friendly gadgets that you can use in your office to become a greener small business.
Here’s a quick rundown of some eco-friendly gadgets worth investing in. All of them will help to save the environment, which in turn saves you money.
Lighting
Lights are a big energy drain in a large office. Many older buildings still have fluorescent tubes and halogen bulbs, which eat energy and don’t last long when switched on for 12+ hours a day. You can save significant sums of money by converting to LED lights as one of the eco-friendly gadgets we consider here.
Some older light fittings may need to be replaced or converted, but with some, all you need to do is replace existing bulbs with LED alternatives, such as these light bulbs. There are even LED tubes for old fluorescent lights if you don’t want to replace them.
Smart Switches
Leaving lights on is a huge energy drain. Unfortunately, it’s common for lights to be left permanently on in bathrooms and kitchens, even when there is nobody using the room. Smart switches as an eco-friendly gadget ensure lights automatically switch off after a period of non-activity. They can be fitted to any room in an office, which is useful if you have areas you don’t use all the time, such as conference rooms and filing rooms.
Smart Power Strips
Energy zombies are appliances left on standby but still connected to power outlets. In offices, it is common to have printers and copiers plugged in and left on standby. This is very energy inefficient. Zombie appliances still use energy, even when they are not being used. The easiest way to kill your zombies is to install an eco-friendly gadget like smart power strips. This means employees don’t need to remember to switch their appliances off when they leave the office at night.
Install smart power strips and make sure copiers, printers, and other similar devices are plugged into these rather than directly into wall outlets.
Reusable Notebooks
Do your employees use paper notepads to jot down notes from meetings and brainstorm ideas? Whilst paper notepads are relatively inexpensive, if you go through dozens of them in a week, the cost soon adds up, and unless the paper is recycled, it will impact the environment.
Instead of using disposable notepads, invest in some reusable notepads instead. These eco-friendly gadgets offer a classic pen and paper experience, but notes can be erased with a few drops of water. Notes can also be quickly transferred to apps like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneNote.
Solar Chargers
Solar chargers are ideal for busy offices. Buy a few and ask employees to charge up their smartphones using solar charges rather than mains power outlets. There are many different designs available, from window-mounted solar charges to desktop versions. As long as your office has a natural light source, solar-powered charges will work. There are also hand-cranked chargers, but your employees might not appreciate the gesture! Just one or two of these gadgets will make a difference to your energy expenditure and help the environment at the same time. What are you waiting for?
