It can often feel like swimming against the tide when it comes to climate change, but a few small changes to something as big as a commercial building can make a big difference. And if more commercial buildings then take up the idea, suddenly the idea of reversing climate change doesn’t seem so shocking. There are a lot of little things that you can do to improve the carbon footprint of your building. Take a look at our suggestions for things you can implement to make less of an impact on the environment.
Get SMART about it
SMART tech is everywhere right now, and its acceptance is partly due to the many environmentally friendly alternatives it has produced so far. If you are running a commercial building, you might want to look into some of these to install. Save on the heating bill and energy by installing a smart thermostat, which will turn off when it senses the temperature has reached a certain point, and back on again when it drops enough. Install smart lighting that is motion-activated so there are only lights on when someone is present. Consider SMART window openers that enable them to open and close as the climate or environmental conditions require. There are a lot of gadgets that can help you lower your energy usage, saving not only the planet, but your money.
Follow regulation
The first and simplest move to making your commercial building a lot greener is to make sure your compliance officer knows what they’re doing. There are a lot of regulations in place and depending on the industry you’re in, a lot of them will have to do with your business’ impact on the environment.
This is increasingly becoming true no matter what industry you’re in. More regulations are coming in for just about any commercial buildings to curb energy usage. Changes to how your business operates might soon become mandatory so make sure your team is up to scratch with what is happening in compliance. Plus, to ignore these regulations could result in a fine for your business.
Train your staff
A better planet is going to be a group effort, so you might want to give your team some training in greener habits. Add recycling bins to the kitchen, for example. Train your staff in water conservation. You might even consider some benefits to encourage greener actions around the workplace, like offering a gym membership to teammates that carpool to work.
Green roofing
There are a lot of things that you can do to a commercial building to make them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but a lot of them have to be implemented from the foundations. On the other hand, installing a roof garden will offer economic and ecological benefits and use up spare space that would otherwise just look horrid. You can expand the lifespan of your roof with the natural shield of a garden and help promote a lot of environmental factors like clean air and pollination.
