The pollution debate and how your business can contribute

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Category: Culture

Published on Tuesday, 15 April 2014 03:27

Written by Johnny Ward

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The debate on pollution is ever-raging, and it’s not just a concern on the world stage – it affects all business owners, too.

While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that averting environmental catastrophe is “affordable”, fossil fuel providers and climate change sceptics are still causing a flood of argument and resistance to almost any kind of reform.

Closer to home, a study from UK government body Public Health England (PHE) has found that one in 12 deaths in London can be partly attributed to the effects of particle air pollution, while the same pollution on a national level shaves six months off the average British life expectancy.

They’re startling figures and, if you’ve got an environmental conscience, they might lead you to want to change the way your business operates to create a greener working environment.

So, if you want to be a pioneer and turn your business into an eco-paradise, follow a few of these tips.

Fill your office with plant life

The first tip on this list is by far the easiest: get some plants in your office.

Office plants, through the process of photosynthesis, have the ability to oxygenate your office and, in turn, offset your carbon footprint. More than this, The University of Vermont’s Department of Plant and Soil Science found that plants reduce employee absenteeism by up to 14 per cent.

Numerous plant display businesses are available to allow you to fill your office with enough flora to make your workspace a perfect place to breathe in clean air.

Connect with renewable energy

The view that renewable energy is too expensive for most businesses is being increasingly challenged, with the aforementioned report from the IPCC stating that sustainable fuel sources actually won’t dent your budget.

In an interview with The Guardian, Kaisa Kosonen of Greenpeace International said, “Renewable energy is unstoppable. It’s becoming bigger, better and cheaper every day. Dirty energy industries are sure to put up a fight but it’s only a question of time before public pressure and economics dictate that they either change or go out of business.”

Indeed, the more the public interest keys into clean energy, the more your business will have to shape up if they want to retain their profits. So, get ahead of the pack by investing in solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.

Recycle

According to the UK site Recycling Guide, up to 60 per cent of rubbish that we throw away could be recycled. In addition to this, paper, which businesses get through like it was going out of fashion, produces 73 per cent less air pollution when recycled compared to when it’s made from raw materials.

The government has a number of recycling programmes set up for big business, so take part and incorporate a few of your own to reduce your carbon footprint and give your company an extra injection of good PR for its eco-outlook.