It is about time you made your business green, even if it may be for no other reason than to attract customers.

Here are some things you and your business can do. These small things can go a long way.

1. Get a socially responsible credit card. Working Assets Visa Card has raised over $60 million dollars for nonprofits since 1985. With every purchase, 10 cents is donated to a nonprofit of your choice.  Workingassets.com
2. Recycle old office equipment.  Find out more on how. Read here
3. Reuse file folders. Put a new sticker over the old and bring the the folder out of retirement. *
4. When printing: Single space, use the fit to one page function, print on both sides of the page, and reduce the margins. Avoid printing PowerPoints. *
5. Thinking about painting? Start here. Find out what paints to buy, how to dispose of everything and more. If you do not plan on doing it yourself, find a green painter who will.
6. Shred some of the office paper to use as packing material. *
7. Teleconference. The need for business traveling is continuing to decrease as telecommunication is increasing. Conference video chat. Have people work from home and have video calls with them. *
8. What cleaning products are being used in your office? Switch to environmentally friendly ones.
9. Eliminate newspaper subscriptions. Save money, save paper. People are beginning to read the news on the internet and on mobile devices.
10. Organize a holiday drive for coats, blankets, or toys to help the less fortunate. Not only is this good for the needy, but also the environment as it keeps people from tossing these items in the garbage.
11. Hold a Shoe Donation.  Soles4Shoes Organization takes lightly used shoes and gives them to those in need. Also, keeps them from going into the trash. Call 1-(866)-521-SHOE.
    shoes4soles.org
12. Look for products labeled Processed Chlorine Free (PCF). White paper products are bleached with chlorine. Sorry, but your paper won’t be bright white.
13. Throw a green party! Environmentally friendly food, utensils, gifts, plates, cups, etc.
14. Organize a car pool service. Employees located close to each other can drive together. Give incentives.

14 things to help your business become environmentally and socially responsible. The ones with the asterisk at the end are also money savers. Don’t forget that once you do these, feel free to brag about it. Let everyone know about your environmental and social consciousness. By the way, at the end of the day it makes you feel good.