by Rebecca Mikulin

Created on: November 17, 2009

Of everything negatively impacting the planet, pollution produced by businesses and because of businesses is by far the greatest concern. Businesses produce more waste, cause more people to drive, and consume more energy than individual consumers could ever manage. Because of this, it falls to businesses - even more so than individuals - to be ever-vigilant in finding ways to reduce their impact and offset it with a positive impact. There are a few things that every business, to some degree, can do to help offset their own negative impact on the environment.

Update Equipment

As people become more and more aware of the perils of modern life to the environment, greater care is being taken to produce better goods. This means that electronics are built to consume less electricity, machinery is made to run cleaner and more efficiently, appliances such as refrigerators and dryers are better sealed and insulated to reduce energy loss, and any number of other improvements.

Look back to ten years ago and the level of environmental concern as compared with today. People were looking at how to make things cheaper and more powerful, but little concern existed about what kind of impact an item would have on the environment.

Though the initial price may be higher, any Energy Star products will not only be more efficient, they can make an appreciable difference in monthly energy bills, giving companies a financial incentive for being environmentally friendly.

Businesses can allocate a portion of profits to updating equipment every month. Computers and their hardware, heavy equipment, and even the refrigerator in the employees' lounge may be candidates for replacement. Check in your area for recycling options on outdated equipment, or sell it to companies that may have still more outdated equipment.

Lower Electricity Consumption

Though steps have been made for clean electricity production, including hydroelectric, solar, and wind turbines, there is still a large portion being produced by burning fossil fuels and other pollution-creating methods. Luckily, it is relatively easy to reduce consumption in the workplace.

Are there areas of your company's building that are not used during the day? Instead of turning on all of the lights at the beginning of the day, turn lights off whenever a room is not in use. If the building is company-owned, consider skylights and automatically dimming lights as a great energy-saving option, allowing employees to get the benefit of sunlight while

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