Develop and Implement a Green Checklist
It’s time to turn your visions and goals into reality.
Let's review the development and implementation of a green checklist.
You should designate someone in your organization as a “Green Business Coordinator” and assign them the responsibility of performing a self-audit against your checklist annually.
It is naïve to think that your business can go green overnight.
You need to decide which green initiatives are appropriate to implement in your line of business.
You need to develop a plan to incrementally boost the green qualities of your business by adopting environmentally sensitive practices over time.
This is where a customized green checklist comes in.
Develop a customized checklist –
The checklist should be specific to your business needs and goals.
Generic checklists can be used as a start, but each business is unique in their departmental structures, areas of responsibility, and the products and services they use.
Review your utility bills, including electricity, gas, water, and solid waste disposal.
Make a chart to show your progress in each area.
For example, graph your Electricity usage for the past six months and then each month update it to show how much you are saving.
Include ideas to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle throughout your organization.
Include replacing disposable products with reusable and recyclable products.
List several ways to reduce energy usage, water consumption and waste.
Review lighting, bathrooms, kitchens, landscaping, printers/copiers, paper products, cleaning products, office supplies and all consumables.
Reduce Hazards –
Just about every organization has hazardous materials, chemicals and waste products that cannot be recycled or disposed of without special handling.
Include a section on your checklist for purchasing, proper handling and storage of hazardous materials and cleaning chemicals.
Look carefully! You might not think something is hazardous and just throw it away.
Example: You might think that it is okay to dispose of wooden deck material in a trash can. Wood is a natural product, right?
If the wood has ever been stained, chemically treated, or painted, it has chemicals in it that can make it hazardous waste.
Cover the five major areas:
-
Environmental Compliance (Health, Fire, Air Quality, Wastewater/Storm Drains)
-
Waste Reduction
-
Pollution Prevention (includes Hazardous Materials/Waste Management)
-
Water Conservation
-
Energy Conservation
Get Certified! –
Once you have implmented your green practices, it's time to get recognized for your efforts by going through the certification process.
Purchase Green –
Whenever you purchase something new, replace or repair something, review it against the checklist to see of it meets your established green guidelines.
It is durable, reusable or recyclable?
|