As the world expands with larger populations and new businesses, the environment on planet earth is threatened. Efforts have to be made by individuals and businesses alike to minimize the damage and preserve the environment as it exists today. Small businesses for a major chunk of the growing business sector and in the United States, over 52% of the working population is working in small businesses.

Small businesses can therefore contribute substantially in cutting down the environmentally dangerous waste being generated by taking measures right now. Some of the ways in which the waste can be reduced include:

1. Save paper, save trees- Trees have to be cut down to use their pulp for paper. This can be done in two ways. First, cut down on the amount of printing done by using emails instead of paper letters and newsletters, notepad applications on mobile phones or laptops, rather than paper notepads to jot down points etc, and second use only recycled paper for all printing, be it marketing flyers or other material.
2. Videoconferencing rather than personal meets- This will be as effective but with less fuel burnt and lower expenses.
3. Use local materials rather than importing them- Cutting down transportation costs will help the environment this will benefit the local suppliers and reduce business expenses.
4. Promote the use of eco-friendly products – This can be done by buying only those goods which come with GreenSeal stamp.
5. Use internet marketing tools to sell online- since this helps in cutting costs while reaching a larger customer base with lesser staff.
6. Use reusable products- This helps to cut down on the waste that has to be disposed of the next day.
7. Use fuel and energy efficient transportation- This will help the environment stay clean.
8. Encourage customers to follow ‘Green rules’ by offering incentives- It is part of the corporate social responsibility to spread good words and actions, and a small expense incurred by offering discounts to customers for using green ways, will help the society and the environment.
9. Join the list in green directories- This will help the business get noticed by environmentally conscious people and become more successful.

Small businesses can start small to make a big impact on the environment, and seeing their initiatives, bigger businesses will also follow their cue. This may help to preserve the environment for much longer than what present estimates point out.

This is a Guest Post by Neil Jones, head of marketing for eMobileScan. One of Europe’s leading providers of handheld computers including the Symbol MC55 and Datalogic Memor