The Basics of Greening Your Business

Since audits are not uniformly available, Energy Star offers a software program, Portfolio Manager, to help you do your own assessment. For more on Portfolio Manager, you can go to energystar.gov. You can also call 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937) for more information during regular business hours.

#12 Switch to Energy-Efficient Lighting

While changing light bulbs alone won't qualify you as being a green business, it is certainly a step in the right direction and an easy and cost-effective one to take. It's also one of the many small steps that if practiced universally could make a significant difference.

There are two types of light bulbs that are more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs: light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs. While these bulbs may cost a little more than the traditional bulbs, both will prove cost-effective down the road, because they will last much longer and use significantly less electricity. An LED bulb has a lifespan of 60,000 hours, while a CFL bulb provides 10,000 hours of light -- both significantly more than the 1,500 hours of service provided by most incandescent bulbs.

#30 Use Indoor Plants as Natural Air Filters

These eco-friendly assistants to your green campaign can improve air quality by removing many indoor pollutants, including those from varnish and other laminate finishes, carpet particles and fibers, formaldehyde, and toxins from chemical cleaners and even from high-tech gadgets. In short, it's out with the bad air and in with the good if you utilize plants as natural air filters.

Since not everyone is a whiz with plants, nor will all plants thrive in your office lighting, you'll need to look for plants that require low maintenance and will do well with artificial (low) lighting. From the entrepreneurial standpoint, the key is making a commitment to allowing plants into the office and letting those who have some expertise in the area take the lead in purchasing and caring for these green friends.