Small Steps, Big Impact: Simple Sustainability Practices for Small and Mid-sized Businesses
As an individual business, you might feel that making a significant sustainability impact is beyond your reach. But it’s often the small, consistent changes that make the biggest difference over time. By implementing achievable, bite-sized sustainability practices, your business can contribute to a healthier community while also benefiting your bottom line.
If you are looking to boost your impact t, here are some easy actions that you can start implementing and measuring within the next few months. These small actions can have a lasting effect on your workplace, community, and the environment.
1. Native Plant Landscaping
Urban environments are often lacking in biodiversity, but your business can make a small yet impactful change by introducing native plant landscaping. Native plants not only reduce water usage but also help rehabilitate soil and bring back essential pollinators like bees and butterflies.
How to Start:
Transition even a small portion of your landscaping to native plants.
How to Measure:
Track your water savings—many businesses report up to a 30% reduction in water usage after switching to native plants.
Use a pollinator count as a fun office challenge. Measure the increase in pollinators over the course of a few months!
2. Automating Thermostats & Closing Blinds
In buildings with many rooms and offices, controlling air conditioning systems is overwhelming. But one of the easiest ways to reduce energy consumption is through automation and is worth the headache of multiple service calls to set up. Automating your thermostats ensures that you're only using energy when needed. Similarly, simple actions like closing blinds during the hottest parts of the day can reduce your cooling load.
How to Start:
Install programmable thermostats or smart systems. Companies that automate their HVAC systems can reduce energy costs by up to 10%.
Encourage employees to close blinds during peak sunlight hours to maintain cooler indoor temperatures naturally.
How to Measure:
Track your energy bills and usage to compare them month over month and year to year to see the savings.
3. Accessible Meeting Hours
Scheduling meetings during core working hours (between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.) can make your workplace more accessible, especially for working parents and caretakers. These time slots allow employees to manage family routines more easily without having to worry about early morning or late-afternoon meetings.
How to Start:
Implement a core meeting hours policy and share it with your team.
How to Measure:
Track meeting attendance and note any changes in employee satisfaction or engagement. You may find that attendance improves as a result of more accessible scheduling.
4. Consolidating Business Trips & Plan Farther in Advance
Business travel, whether by car or air, contributes significantly to a company’s carbon footprint, especially when multiple trips are made for individual meetings or events. By strategically reducing these travel miles, your company can lower greenhouse gas emissions, save money, and boost productivity—all without compromising on business needs. The key is to plan smarter, not harder, and leverage technology and efficient travel practices.
How to Start:
Create a company policy that encourages employees to combine meetings into a single trip whenever possible. While it may seem straightforward, multiple trips often happen due to scheduling challenges and meeting preferences. Planning further in advance can help overcome these hurdles and reduce the need for separate trips.
Consider offering incentives for employees who use virtual meetings or opt for local travel.
How to Measure:
Track the reduction in trips and calculate your travel-related carbon footprint. Some businesses have reduced travel emissions by as much as 25% by consolidating meetings.
5. Local Vendors and Suppliers
Switching to local vendors not only supports your community but also cuts down on emissions from transportation. Whether it’s your coffee supplier or your accounting firm, choosing local businesses can make a difference.
How to Start:
Identify a few services or supplies your business can source locally, such as catering, cleaning services, or office supplies.
Negotiate bulk purchasing agreements to cut costs. Local sourcing often reduces delivery wait times and emissions.
How to Measure:
Track the number of local suppliers you work with and the percentage of your budget that stays in your community.
6. Green Commuting Every Friday
Encourage your team to bike, carpool, or use public transport on Fridays. Make it a fun initiative by meeting at a local coffee shop once a month to kick off the day! By creating a fun, engaging program that rewards participation, businesses can not only reduce their carbon emissions but also promote healthier, happier employees.
How to Start:
Enjoy your green commuting initiative by meeting at a local coffee shop once a month to kick off the day! Employees can track their green commuting days and participate for a chance to win prizes or recognition.
How to Measure:
Track participation and calculate the reduction in carbon emissions from fewer car commutes. Numbers often grow as employees enjoy the sense of camaraderie and the personal benefits of greener commuting.
Use participation data to calculate the collective reduction in carbon emissions. This can be done by estimating the average emissions from a typical car commute and comparing that to the number of green commutes logged each week.
7. Mentoring Programs Over Social Hours
Traditional after-work social events like happy hours can exclude certain employees, especially parents or those with caretaking responsibilities. Instead, foster a more inclusive workplace by implementing mentoring programs that span different economic, age, gender, and ethnic backgrounds. Studies show that inclusive mentoring increases employee engagement, and retention, and provides opportunities for upward growth to employees that don’t have access to after hour networking.
How to Start:
Pair employees across departments and set up a formal or informal mentoring program.
How to Measure:
Track participation and the number of mentorship hours logged.
Survey participants for feedback on the impact of the program.
Conclusion: Small Steps, Big Impact
Implementing these small, achievable sustainability practices can make a significant difference over time. Start with one or two actions, track the results, and build from there. Your business will not only see cost savings but also contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future.
Our vision is that many businesses start implementing actions like these and the accumulated impact grows exponentially.
If you want help measuring your impact, let us know how we can assist you in tracking your progress! Once you’ve been tracking these initiatives for a bit, we can highlight your efforts in a program assessment, case study, or incorporate them into your impact report.
