5 Important Tips to Help Make Your Facility Green

We all have a responsibility to do our part to help the planet. Businesses are feeling greater pressure to lower their carbon footprint, as 92% of customers said they are more likely to trust brands that focus on sustainability.

As a result, many businesses are shifting to green busines practices. The right investments can help grow an eco-friendly business.

Business properties ranging from office buildings to warehouses can be a major culprit that is responsible for harmful practices to the environment. This is often a result of their toxic compounds, greenhouse gas emissions, and plastic waste. 

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s statistics and analysis, buildings accounted for 40 percent of total energy consumption in 2020, and the adverse environmental impacts are becoming a growing concern for many facility owners and managers. 

Sustainability and eco-friendly operations can positively impact both your business efficiency and culture while also protecting the environment. As the operator of a business facility, it is in your power to incorporate sustainable practices to make your facility eco-friendly and meet your goal of achieving a greener building. 

There are a lot of things that you can do in this regard. This can include using renewable energy and finding the same ways to reduce plastic waste that households use.

Consider how you can embrace more sustainable practices to operate a greener building.

Consult a Sustainable Construction Team

Hire a sustainable construction team for your facility services to give you peace of mind. An experienced multi-trade contractor will prioritize energy conservation and employ sustainable practices to provide facility services that help to reduce costs and environmental impacts over the long term.

Keeping your facility green is made easy when you find a qualified facility service provider with extensive experience, training, and certifications. A sustainable multi-trade construction team can provide the right-fit solutions to project management, installation, and end-user engagement to support aspects of a smarter and green environment.

Implement Green Practices

It is essential to adopt a few green practices on your journey to a greener building. These practices could include banning single-use non-biodegradable products, such as plastic cups, straws, and bags. Although these items are not directly involved in the construction process, they might be discouraging employees in the facility from following sustainable practices.

Other ways to implement practices include creating awareness of water wastage, using smart controls to maintain and monitor efficiency, and switching facility lighting to LED bulbs. 

Choose Environmentally Responsible Materials

The materials used during construction or facility maintenance operations can contribute vastly to the environmental impact. Consider using products that meet the EPA’s Safer Choice Standard to reduce the risk of bringing harmful products into your facility.

Using biodegradable cleaning products and supplies is another great way to maintain indoor air quality and reduce water pollution.

Prioritize Preventive Maintenance

If a piece of equipment hasn’t been inspected, lubricated, or replaced in a long time, it might be working extra hard to continue running, leading to higher energy consumption. This is why regular maintenance is essential – not only to ensure the functionality of your equipment but to avoid increased energy consumption.

Other assets that consume more energy when in poor condition are plumbing and Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. If you don’t frequently maintain these essential systems, they will produce more waste and higher repair costs. 

Invest in Energy-Efficient Tools

A significant amount of energy consumed by a facility is through its appliances. You can lower the overall energy consumption of your facility by using energy-efficient alternatives. For example, LED light bulbs (LEDs) use 75 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. Replacing tools that consume the most energy with energy-efficient counterparts can be valuable when making sustainable choices.

Whether you’re taking on a new project or making changes to an existing one, there are many steps you can take to keep your facility green. Learn more about sustainability practices and methods and incorporate them into your business to live up to the promise of a greener building.