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Fast Company asked 13 Fast Company Executive Board members to share suggestions on how business leaders who want to invest more of their time and resources into a “green-first” philosophy so they can cut waste as a company at-large.

Red Banyan Founder and CEO Evan Nierman’s idea was for companies to go paperless.

Read the entire article here.

13 Ways Companies Can Reduce Waste and Protect the Environment

Global environmental change and the sustainability of our Earth continue to be a rising topic of conversation in our personal and professional lives. If business owners, in particular, are looking for affordable ways to protect the planet, they can start by assessing their company’s carbon footprint beyond their walls and implementing small steps to improve their efficiency to make a better impact in their own community first and eventually beyond.

Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members share one easy, economical suggestion for business leaders who want to invest more of their time and resources into a “green-first” philosophy so they can cut waste as a company at-large.

1. ASSESS YOUR COMPANY’S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure, so the first critical step would be to start measuring your company’s environmental impact. Simple and easy steps like turning off the lights when you leave the facility, installing calibrated motion sensors for lighting, using energy-efficient appliances, and turning the video off on virtual meetings when possible can lead to significant energy savings. – Gayatri Keskar, Material ConneXion

2. ASK FOR TEAM RECOMMENDATIONS.

Tap into the collective wisdom within your walls and ask people for recommendations. Whether it’s a leader in operations who already sees ways to increase environmental awareness within the supplier community to a product manager who has an idea about how to redesign a product to minimize its environmental impact, in many cases the people closest to the work will have the best advice. – Tom Floyd, Flouracity

3. MINIMIZE YOUR BUSINESS TRAVEL.

As a professional services company, the one area where we can truly contribute towards a zero-carbon future is to reduce or minimize travel. We can’t easily affect diet, necessary transformations in agriculture, or investments in renewables. However, the one thing we can do is to ensure we aren’t getting in cars and planes without a compelling reason, one that’s truly better than Zoom! – Nathaniel Heller, Geneva Global

4. PRACTICE A GREEN-FIRST PHILOSOPHY.

Companies need to consider a green-first philosophy. Just as in web design, a mobile-first approach is the best, and in organizational HR planning, virtual-first is also best (when possible). Having a green-first approach to decision-making at all levels can help organizations ensure their business growth is sustainable in every sense of the word. – Pat Perdue, Pat Perdue Strategy, Branding, and Influence

5. START ON A SMALL SCALE FOR QUICK WINS.

I advise starting with easily attainable wins and then establishing plans for larger change. Quick wins could include moderating energy use in summer and winter and incentivizing staff who opt for public transportation. In the longer term, companies should invest in a carbon footprint analysis, switch to energy-efficient appliances and establish a team to evaluate opportunities and foster company-wide change. – Traci Siegel, gmmb.com

6. ENABLE A REMOTE WORK CULTURE.

One of the smartest and easiest ways to be more sustainable is to enable a remote workforce. The amount of resources and energy that could be saved when there is no need for a physical space or for a commute is substantial and very impactful. This is one of the easiest yet sure ways to go sustainable without having to commit to significant upfront planning or spending. – Pardis Mirmalek, ARTAA AI

7. FORM A STEERING COMMITTEE TO CHAMPION CHANGE.

Launch an environmental social governance (ESG) steering committee to establish, champion, and inspire team members, and the communities served, to actively reduce their environmental footprint. Recognize and reward ESG efforts: Reduce, recycle, reuse! – Britton Bloch, Navy Federal

8. GO PAPERLESS.

Going paperless not only saves energy costs but also saves trees. Businesses that want to take it one step further can make the switch to a hybrid or fully remote workplace. Companies that operate partially or fully remotely can cut down on costs for heating, air conditioning, lights, and other power-related expenses. – Evan Nierman, Red Banyan

9. DRIVE ELECTRIC TRUCKS AND RENT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES.

If your company requires delivery or transport, an achievable step towards sustainability can be exploring the use of electric trucks and commercial vehicle rentals. Rental fleets give you the flexibility to test EVs and get a better understanding of how they can work for your business and can help you to achieve sustainability goals like zero-emission, last-mile delivery without the burdens of ownership. – James Eberhard, Fluid Truck

10. USE ENERGY-EFFICIENT LED LAMPS.

Energy costs continue to rise. So, one easy way to save money is to replace incandescent and fluorescent tube lighting, found in the ceilings of many offices and facilities, with energy-efficient LED lamps. These use nearly 80% less energy and last years longer. This will decrease energy costs and cut replacement costs while helping to protect the environment by consuming less energy and reducing waste. – Roy Simmons, GE Lighting, a Savant company

11. APPOINT A MANAGER TO MONITOR AND MAINTAIN A GREEN BUDGET.

Set a budget for going green and name someone savvy to spend it wisely. Many managers are all in for saving energy. That is until they have to spend money upfront to make it happen! The most obvious examples might be investing in LED lighting fixtures or upgrading aging HVAC and appliances. Whoever oversees that budget must be able to make a case for the expenditures saving energy (and money) over time. – Misty Larkins, Relevance

12. CHOOSE AN OFFICE WITH SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES.

One easy way to start going green and saving energy as a company is to choose an office that has a sustainable design. This includes using materials that are recyclable, energy-efficient appliances and fixtures, implementing water-saving techniques, and many more. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

13. PRIORITIZE OFFICE RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING.

Start with your facility if you want to go green. Make recycling and composting a priority, deploy a building automation system with integrated lighting controls, and conserve water with efficient toilets and sinks. Go further by seeking out local and state incentives to defray costs. – Karen Starns, OJO