It seems like everyone wants to “go green” these days, if not for the environment itself, then at least to improve the company’s public image. No one wants to be called out for not being green enough, like Toshiba’s copier division was in 2012, but it’s often difficult for technology companies to be more environmentally conscious.
The technology industry isn’t often associated with “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” what with consumers clamoring to buy the latest and greatest gadget only to discard yesterday’s still-working model. What’s worse, many technologies need to be responsibly discarded because they contain significant quantities of hazardous materials including lead, cadmium and arsenic that can poison air, water, and land when deposited in landfills.
An industry with such destructive components may not seem to be able to join the green movement, but that’s not the case at smplsolutions. We are doing our part to minimize our carbon footprint and preserve our environment. The good news is that there are many SMPL® things every office can do to make a difference. Here are some of our favorites:
Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solutions
An easy thing to do – and a good first step on the road to going green – is asking your cleaning crew to use only eco-friendly cleaning solutions. There may be times when they need to use harsh chemicals like bleach, but for everyday use, it’s completely fine to switch to cleaning products that don’t hurt the environment.
Go Paperless
Paperless billing and faxing is becoming more and more popular as the technology behind the service evolves. At smplsolutions we no longer have hard copies of faxes or invoices; everything is done electronically unless a client requests that we mail a hard copy. Going paperless has allowed us to cut our paper consumption by more than half—good for the Earth and for our budget!
Tint Office Windows
Approximately one-third of a structure’s total heat loss usually occurs through windows and doors. Knowing this, one of the first modifications President & CEO David Case made to our building was to put energy-efficient tinting on its windows. The tint helps to insulate the office, which reduces our need to run the heating and air conditioning. If tinting isn’t an option for your office, make sure to efficiently use window coverings to regulate the temperature.
Reduce & Improve Business Travel
Obviously one of our greatest impact points is technicians traveling to client locations. Luckily, technology is helping minimize the need for onsite visits, and The Tech Team uses software, like Team Viewer, to remotely handle glitches and changes to client networks as often as possible. Still, there are times when it’s impossible to complete the job remotely, like during a system installation or cabling project.
On-site telecom projects often require a ladder, tool box and other equipment that doesn’t fit well into a sedan. For that reason, many companies use pickup trucks or full-size vans as their corporate vehicles. Not smplsolutions. When rolling a tech is unavoidable, we have a fleet of fuel-efficient smplsolutions Scion xBs outfitted with roof racks to get The Tech Team on the road and to the rescue.
Start a Recycling Program
Finally, smplsolutions provides a free technology recycling service to clients. Our technicians pick up old batteries, computers, monitors, servers, printers and other items from clients. We destroy any hard drives to ensure client privacy, and store everything on a pallet in our warehouse. When we have collected a pallet worth of items we have a hardware recycling company come to our office to responsibly dispose of everything. The last time they made a pickup we had more than 3,000 lbs. of batteries!
It’s never too late to implement a company recycling program or ask your cleaning crew to switch to eco-friendly products. Even in an industry where waste is prevalent (what did you do with your last iPhone after you upgraded?) there are ways to minimize the corporate carbon footprint and make a difference.
