Every person and business can make a positive impact on the planet. Here are some simple activities that you can do in your business to become a sustainable one. (many of these tips have been shared from Brisbane City Council)

Be wise

  • Review your heating, ventilation, and air conditioner use
  • Switch to energy-efficient lights
  • Choose more energy and water-efficient appliances, fixtures, and fittings
  • Understand your electricity usage. Speak with your energy provider and ask if they provide free audits for your business
  • Check your water bill and see if you can find ways to reduce your water usage
  • Become a water-smart business with ideas such as installing a rain garden or implementing water-sensitive urban design ideas
  • Keep chemicals and detergent out of stormwater drains.
  • Have a recycle bin in your office for paper and recyclable items
  • Use green-friendly items in your staff kitchen and limit plastic or disposable cutlery
  • If you have room, plant a small garden
  • Collect cans/bottles for recycling and put the money towards a staff party

Minimise

  • Where efficiencies cannot be achieved through behaviour change, efficient technologies or wiser purchasing, look for the cleanest energy sources, such as GreenPower, E10 fuel, and hybrid vehicles.
  • Switch to solar hot water or a heat pump if direct sunlight is unavailable. Inefficient electric storage hot water systems are a major drain on your business profits.
  • Sharing with a neighbouring business, which has a commercial manifold hot water system, can further reduce capital costs and risks.
  • Switching to GreenPower for a proportion or all of your purchased electricity will allow your business to make a real statement about its green credentials.
  • Add Carbon offset payments when flying for business
  • Consider donating regularly to companies like Reforest now and get a tax break

Offset emissions

Commercial and industrial contribute significantly to emissions via electricity usage from facilities and heavy vehicle fleets. You can reduce your business emissions by purchasing GreenPower and negate residual emissions, after accounting for reductions, through the purchase price of carbon offsets. For more information on eligible carbon offsets you can visit the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) website.

Through the Australian Government’s NCOS Carbon Neutral Program, Australian businesses can:

  • reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and impact on climate change
  • market their business, products or events as carbon neutral
  • use the official program logo and the Australian Government emblem.

Other programs

The Australian and Queensland governments, industry groups and business partnerships run programs to enable your business to become more efficient, including:

Little steps and changes have big impacts. You will find more information on this pagehttps://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/clean-and-green/green-home-and-community/green-businesses

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