5 Ways Your Company Can Get Green

It seems like everyone wants to ―go green‖ these days, if not for the environment itself,

then at least to improve the company’s public image. No one wants to be called out for

not being green enough, like Toshiba’s copier division was in 2012, but it’s often difficult

for technology companies to be more environmentally conscious.

The technology industry isn’t often associated with ―Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,‖ what with

consumers clamoring to buy the latest and greatest gadget only to discard yesterday’s

still-working model. What’s worse, many technologies need to be responsibly discarded

because they contain significant quantities of hazardous materials including lead,

cadmium and arsenic that can poison air, water, and land when deposited in landfills.

An industry with such destructive components may not seem to be able to join the green

movement, but that’s not the case at smplsolutions. We are doing our part to minimize

our carbon footprint and preserve our environment. The

good news is that there are many SMPL® things every

office can do to make a difference. Here are some of

our favorites:

Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solutions

An easy thing to do – and a good first step on the road

to going green – is asking your cleaning crew to use

only eco-friendly cleaning solutions. There may be

times when they need to use harsh chemicals like bleach, but for everyday use, it’s

completely fine to switch to cleaning products that don’t hurt the environment.

Go Paperless

Paperless billing and faxing is becoming more and more popular as the technology

behind the service evolves. At smplsolutions we no longer have hard copies of faxes or

invoices; everything is done electronically unless a client requests that we mail a hard

copy. Going paperless has allowed us to cut our paper consumption by more than

half—good for the Earth and for our budget!

Tint Office Windows

Approximately one-third of a structure’s total heat loss usually occurs through windows

and doors. Knowing this, one of the first modifications President & CEO David Case

made to our building was to put energy-efficient tinting on its windows. The tint helps to

insulate the office, which reduces our need to run the heating and air conditioning. If

tinting isn’t an option for your office, make sure to efficiently use window coverings to

regulate the temperature.

Reduce & Improve Business Travel

Obviously one of our greatest impact points is technicians traveling to client

locations. Luckily, technology is helping minimize the need for onsite visits, and The

Tech Team uses software, like Team Viewer, to remotely handle glitches and changes

to client networks as often as possible. Still, there are times when it’s impossible to

complete the job remotely, like during a system installation or cabling project.

On-site telecom projects often require a ladder, tool box and other equipment that

doesn’t fit well into a sedan. For that reason, many companies use pickup trucks or full-

size vans as their corporate vehicles. Not smplsolutions. When rolling a tech is

unavoidable, we have a fleet of fuel-efficient smplsolutions Scion xBs outfitted with roof

racks to get The Tech Team on the road and to the rescue.

Start a Recycling Program

Finally, smplsolutions provides a free technology recycling service to clients. Our

technicians pick up old batteries, computers, monitors, servers, printers and other items

from clients. We destroy any hard drives to ensure client privacy, and store everything

on a pallet in our warehouse. When we have collected a pallet worth of items we have

a hardware recycling company come to our office to responsibly dispose of

everything. The last time they made a pickup we had more than 3,000 lbs. of batteries!

It’s never too late to implement a company recycling program or ask your cleaning crew

to switch to eco-friendly products. Even in an industry where waste is prevalent (what

did you do with your last iPhone after you upgraded?) there are ways to minimize the

corporate carbon footprint and make a difference.