Happy Earth Day! Tomorrow is the official holiday, and it’s the perfect occasion to take a step back and see how you can make your business more environmentally-friendly. It might not seem like going green should be a big priority for a small business, but there are actually several benefits. Demonstrating a commitment to your community and environment shows that you care about more than making a profit, and it will make you competitive with other companies that are going green. If that doesn’t have you sold, reducing wasteful practices will also save you a ton of money. Here are some ways that you can start greening up your company:

Reduce energy consumption.
We all know that unplugging things when they aren’t in use is a good way to conserve energy, but this can be a big hassle when you have countless electronics and appliances plugged in at one time. Invest in some smart power strips that sense when energy isn’t being used and shut it off until it’s needed again. You’ll be amazed at how much energy (and money) you save.

Go green with your printing.
It’s great to go paperless when you can, but don’t feel like you have to go print-free to be green. Talk to your local printer to see what environmentally-friendly methods they offer. There are countless kinds of recycled papers, efficient inks, and energy-conserving printing processes available.

Bring lunch.
It might not seem like a big deal to drive 10 minutes to your favorite fast food place every day, but when you add it up over a period of time (and factor in how many of your coworkers are doing it too) it can seem like a big waste of time and energy. Start bringing your lunch or create a lunch program for your employees so they don’t have to worry about leaving the office at noon.

Give employees water bottles.
Bottled water is an incredibly harmful environmental product. Americans throw out nearly 40 million plastic bottles each year, and it requires millions of gallons of oil to produce all of the bottles that are bought in the first place. Consider giving your employees personalized water bottles. They’ll be grateful for the thoughtful gift, and you’ll rest easy knowing that you’re reducing unnecessary plastic bottle usage.

Reward employees for using alternative methods of transportation.
Encourage your coworkers to ditch their cars by rewarding those who carpool, take public transportation, walk or ride their bikes to work every day. The reward can be as simple as a shout out during a staff meeting or as elaborate as being entered into a drawing for a fabulous vacation package. No matter what you do, recognizing people who are going green will boost company morale and reduce your carbon footprint.