When you flip through any facility maintenance magazine, every glossy page boasts eco-friendly and sustainable solutions. Manufacturers compete with environmental claims and it can be hard to sift through what products really do help Mother Nature. As a business owner or facility manager, it’s important to understand how products can impact the environment. Here are a few ways to make sure you are doing your part.
Look for green certifications. To help you weed through all of the sustainable claims, trade organizations, government agencies and businesses created green standards. These certifications measure the environmental impact of every product, such as the percent of recycled materials used or the number of organic compounds that result from use. These certifications help to highlight equipment that is more energy efficient and products that expend less energy.
What are some practical ways for a facility to incorporate green certifications? One of the easiest solutions is to install light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs in your facility. Energy Star appliances are also a well-known way to help your business go green. The Energy Star certification measures the energy performance of many building products and is a great standard to implement in your company. WaterSense is another green standard that ensures bathrooms consumer less water. These are just a few of the green certifications that exist, there are dozens more that you can include within your business.
It is important to remember that in addition to doing your part to help the environment, making the switch to environmentally friendly certified products can also help your company save money. By using less energy and conserving more water, your power bills will see a decrease. These certified products appliances can help you go green while saving some green too.
