If you want to be great in your business, you need to make sure that you’re not just thinking of your bottom line. You have to think of the way that your employees are treated, the way that your clients view you, and most of all, the impact that your business has on the planet. Some companies choose to use solar power, and it’s not just about money saving. If you are running a business that generates a lot of energy, you want to make sure that you reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible.

If you are all for going green and shouting your support for eco-friendly business, great. You can choose which way you go - we all know how polluted and wasteful the world is becoming. Instead of being wasteful, you can conserve water with a 5000 litre water tank. You can harness the power of the sun overhead to power the business. You can even learn to run a business compost so that office lunches become something sustainable.

You know that the time is now to create some change in your business, and we’ve got five ways for you to go about it.

1. Start with learning to reduce your usage in the office. We’ve talked about solar power, which will help, but you can also reduce your energy bills with a switch from regular lighting to LED. LED lighting will save you a lot of money on your energy, and when you swap you’ll see the difference in stronger, longer power for much less.

2. Going digital is so important in business. Paper waste is so common and yes, while paper is recyclable, you’re wasting energy on that recycling. Use technology to write up your ideas, store your files in the cloud and only use the necessary paperwork in your office. There are plenty of programs for editing PDF files now, so you can get away with contracts being online, too!

3. Start a compost bin and get a water tank, and start reusing things yourself. Your compost bin can feed the plant life outside, and your water tank could help you to ration the water used in the office. Reuse the materials where you can in the office, and opt for recycled paper reams when you have to print!

4. Get your outsourcing done right from the beginning by choosing ethical companies with biodegradable products. If you align your business with others that have the same eco-friendly goals, you’re going to have much more success.

5. Encourage others in your business and your building to turn to being eco-friendly. The better influence you have, the more you can drive the message home that eco-friendly is the way to go. You should inspire your employees to work better towards being environmentally friendly where you can - it'll mean you’re doing your part well.

It’s not a trend to go green. You need to look at the bigger picture and how you can help the planet. There’s nothing bad about that!