2 Business New Year’s Resolutions to be Green in 2016

Looking for realistic New Year’s resolutions you can easily achieve and positively impact your business with? Well, let’s dive in to 2 sustainable ways!

1. Recycle the Right Way

Did you know lids on bottles aren’t recyclable on the curb? They’re a thicker plastic and should be removed before recycling your plastic bottles. If your place of work doesn’t have enough recycle bins or people aren’t following the recycling guidelines, see if you can improve your recycling program. Pay attention to signage, make new signage for co-workers to follow and don’t let laziness overpower your decisions. It all adds up in the end if you play your part now.

“You can have all the cooperation in the world between haulers and agencies, you can have all the infrastructure in the world, but without a public that’s enthusiastic about recycling and composting, where would you be?” says Bruce Walker, solid waste and recycling program manager for Portland’s Bureau of Planning & Sustainability. ¹

It’s time to take the extra step in your daily schedule to recycle whenever and wherever you can, and we’re lucky to live in a place where this is pretty easy to do.

2.Secure Confidential Informationto Keep Your Business Safe

You’ve heard it time and time again, but we can’t stress enough the importance to set rules for your business so that everyone keeps information safe at all times.

“Having a sound security plan in place to collect only what you need, keep it safe, and dispose of it securely can help you meet your legal obligations to protect that sensitive data,” the FTC mentions on their Data Security page.²

This means setting up rules for:

• Properly disposing of hard drives when the time comes. Wiping your computer clean is not enough either. Take it to a professional who can securely destroy data and stay cost effective for your business.
• Properly shredding documents containing business practices, memos, customer information, and anything in question of being private. If you haven’t set up on-site shredding services yet, now is the time. Having a process in play should be a new standard for your business in addition to your current file management system.

Let’s set the example for others in Portland and make a difference this year to impact the sustainable future of the NW and beyond.

Sources

1. Chris Clarke, http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/09/17/5-cities-are-recycling-superstars, Sept 17, 2014
2. Federal Trade Commission, https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/privacy-and-security/data-security