The age of ink and paper is quickly disappearing. In today’s society, digital is king (or queen) and if you’re not moving in that direction, you could get left behind. Now I admit that there’s nothing better than a piece of paper to write stuff down on; but with today’s technology, it’s becoming a thing of the past.
Let’s take Cloud Computing as our first example.
Cloud Computing, for those who don’t know what it is or how it works, is like a great big virtual briefcase. You can store documents, pictures, videos, music, pretty much anything you want in it and it’s always accessible (provided you have internet). So how can it be good for your business? Easy – you don’t have to go searching for a file or a document anymore. Everything is at your fingertips and just a screen away. Instead of sorting through a filing cabinet in your office, you can be reading it on your device in a matter of seconds. Not only does it free up your valuable time, but it also saves the environment.
How you may ask?
- Paper isn’t being used which means the harsh chemicals that go into making paper aren’t being spewed into the environment and not as many trees are being cut down.
- The energy involved with making the pens, pencils, paper, etc far outweighs the energy involved to run your computer.
- And lastly, it reduces waste. Those little plastic pens don’t end up in the landfills.
There are many ways you can incorporate cloud computing into your business and accounting is one of them. I can’t speak for other companies, but at Accountable Value Financial Services, we are 100% able to do cloud accounting. Everything we request can be sent digitally through our Google Drive and all of our reports we send to you can be sent via email OR uploaded to Google Drive for you to access. It’s very easy for you – if you have an expense receipt, just take a picture of it and upload it directly to the drive. No more worrying about it getting lost or damaged to the point where it becomes unreadable (I know we have all been in the situation where a receipt fades to the point of being illegible). Someone email you and invoice? Upload it to the drive. By storing everything in the drive, you save space at your office which takes me to my next point.
Smaller Footprints.
No I’m not talking about small shoe sizes. I’m talking about having a smaller carbon footprint in the world. Ok great, so you went paperless. By doing this, you have decreased your carbon footprint a few percentages. How else can you reduce your global carbon footprint? Downsize your office or go green with your office space. If you have unused rooms because you went paperless, think about renting out the space. This will give you extra cash (who doesn’t want this!?) and it will also allow you to turn an unused space into usable (reduce, reuse, and recycle right?). Some other tips on reducing your carbon footprints:
- Turn off the lights as you leave the room or put in the motion sensor light switches. By reducing the amount of electricity you consume, you reduce your draw on resources.
- Set up a recycling program in your office. Anything that can be recycled (cans, bottles, paper products, etc) can all go to a recycling centre and save the landfills. You can take it one step further and set up a compostable program. Any leftover, uncooked, and non-meat food items can all be converted into fertilizer. Check with your local government to see if they have a composting facility nearby; Calgary does!
- If you can, bike to work instead of drive. By biking to work, you are getting a good workout and you aren’t relying on fossil fuels to get you to and from work.
- Lastly, try reusing some items that might otherwise be a one-use item. Find a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
It’s not difficult to get into the habit of reducing your energy consumption and before you know it, you will be running a green company! Why, you may ask, would this benefit me?
How green can grow your business
A green company has a better brand and a better public perception. By announcing that you are green, people are drawn to the idea that you are able to operate without destroying the planet. This in turn, creates growth in your business. On all of your marketing materials, try adding a little blurb about your efforts to go green; it will go a lot further than a company that isn’t trying to go green. With information at our fingertips, it’s easier for consumers to find out everything about your company including how green it is and how much energy it consumes.
Looking for more ways to go green? Shoot us an email today and we would be happy to discuss options for your company!