As the climate crisis continues to loom over all of us, you may start to think about what your company can do to help. When the Wilburn Company “went green” in 2018, we did so because of a need to be environmentally-responsible and give back to the world around us. If you’re feeling pressured to make the same commitment, you may be wondering how you can go green. What procedures need to change? How do you increase your energy efficiency? How can you get your employees involved?
As a green cleaning company, we’ve been there and done that. Here are some different ways your company can go green.
Environmentally-Friendly Culture
It’s difficult to change the culture of a workspace. Culture is that invisible glue that binds people together and can create either an amazing or awful place to work. It can be something as subtle as an office joke or something as standardized as going out for lunch to a specific restaurant. Some companies will find it easier to create a green culture than others. It depends on what product your selling, who your employees are, and what you need to change.
For example, if your company is a coal plant or headquarters for Exxon, going green is going to be a major cultural shift. But if you work at a retail store that sells sustainable footwear, you’re most likely already halfway there. In order to become a green cleaning company, our employees had to take on extra training that required dedication and commitment. Because of this, we were able to shift our culture to one that prioritized the environment pretty quickly. The more we learned, the more we realized how much it was a necessity!
Try getting your employees on board by creating a green mission statement, making your green initiative interactive, and listening to staff feedback.
Go Paperless
As email grew in popularity, the days of paper memos slowly faded away. But your office could still use a surprising amount of paper. Even the smallest details of your office add up. Are you tissues recyclable? Do you use regular paper towels, or could you switch to ones made of bamboo?
Part of reducing the use of paper in your office is looking for little details that can be changed easily to negate your impact on the environment. Using bamboo-based products instead of paper-based products uses a more sustainable renewable resource than trees. Or try using reusable products instead of disposable. For example, replace the paper towels in your company kitchen with washable dish towels instead.
As a green cleaning company, we switched from disposable mop heads to washable microfiber ones. We even use microfiber shampoo bonnets. All of these small changes may not seem like much, but when combined it significantly reduces the amount of trash that goes to the landfill.
Care for their Employees
Going green isn’t just about caring for the planet but caring for your employees too. Don’t employ sweatshop labor and ensure that all of your employees are paid a living wage. This allows others to live in a more sustainable fashion. Part of being a green company isn’t just going through the motions of reducing your energy usage, but also instilling those values into your employees as well.
Our green cleaning company believes that we are not just janitors. We are environmental hygienists. In order to be a green company, you need to stand by your employees, so they’ll stand by you.
Energy-Efficient Operating Practices
Every industry, store, and company operates differently from the next. But what everyone should strive for is to operate at maximum efficiency in order to save energy. For example, if you work retail, is there a better way to distribute your goods to stores in order to save on transportation costs and reduce your carbon footprint?
Set goals for how much you want to increase your energy efficiency before you start out. That way you’ll have a measurable baseline and you’ll have a clear idea of when you’ve become successful. Becoming more energy efficient isn’t just about creating new systems or working your employees harder. It can also be about optimizing your existing systems.
When was the last time your HVAC system received maintenance? Keeping up with the wear and tear on current operating systems will help them to run more efficiently. Are all of your lightbulbs LED? If not, start replacing them. You might be surprised at how much it pays off.
Ecofriendly Source Materials
Too often, companies fail to check where the materials they work with come from. Are the trees used in your paper products felled excessively or harvested sustainably? Is the fiber for your wool from a farm that uses sustainable practices?
A big part of becoming a truly green company is cleaning out the unknowns in every aspect of your supply chain. Be sure to fully understand what the consequences are if you use unsustainable sources for your raw materials.
As a green cleaning company, we need to ensure that all of our cleaning products and chemicals are sustainably-sourced and kept in an environmentally-friendly way, with minimal contamination. Wherever you find your source materials, ensure that they add to your green initiative and don’t detract.
A Green Cleaning Company can be an essential part of your green initiative.
When your company is going green, you want to pay attention to every little detail—including your cleaning service. The Wilburn Company’s green cleaning includes energy-efficient machines that require less water, reusable microfiber products instead of paper, and ecofriendly cleaning products. A green initiative is a serious thing. Believe me, we’ve been there. If your company is looking to go green, you need to pay attention to every little detail that can cut down on your carbon footprint. Your cleaning company is one of those details.
If you’re looking for a green cleaning company in the Washington D.C. metro area, reach out to us today. Or, if you’d like to learn more about our green cleaning services, click here.