Since Snyder Cohn became a Montgomery County Certified Green Business 10 years ago, we have kept our focus and intent on practices that reduce our carbon footprint and preserve and protect our community assets – social, economic, and environmental. Below are the six things we, as a firm, do to keep our work and business as sustainable and as Green as possible and encourage our clients and friends to do the same.

Build sustainability into the workspace

From office lighting and appliances to furnishings, our office space utilizes eco-friendly products that reduce both resource consumption and costs. We adopted LED-based lighting systems and invested in electronics that are eco-friendly. We installed motion-sensored lighting throughout the office, set up our electronics to shut down after being idle, and utilize as much natural lighting as possible to save energy.

Green kitchen

Rather than stocking and restocking sky-scrapers of plastic cups in our kitchen, we have reduced our plastic waste exponentially by using glass coffee mugs and reusable kitchenware. We also switched to compostable coffee pods instead of using plastic pods that are not environmentally friendly.  Whether you are a small startup or an international corporation, investing in reusable kitchenware is a simple and effective way to reduce your office’s footprint.

Recycling bins

As a green business, we realized that our associates want to recycle, and we wanted to make recycling convenient for all of us to do so. We placed recycling bins throughout the office and at everyone’s desks, our common areas, lunch space, mailroom, and the hallways. Offering opportunities to throw something in a blue bin as opposed to a wastebasket is half of the battle.

Get everyone on board

In order to have a green and eco-friendly office, it’s vital that everyone is dedicated to greening your organization. We have a Green team of associates who brainstorm and help implement a lot of environmentally-friendly changes in the workplace. We also send out a monthly newsletter with reminders and tips to associates, reminding them of old and new ways they can go green inside and outside of the workplace.

Reduce paper use

Paper waste is one of the most persistent – and most preventable – operation costs in the modern office. In the age of cloud storage, there are more ways than ever to share information and store data without paper. Moving to a paperless system boosts productivity and security and allows for saving on costs associated with printing, storing, and managing paper. Over the years, we have switched to various software packages to move our work electronically through the office instead of paper copies, review tax returns and financial statements electronically and communicate and exchange documents with clients electronically.

Green your space up

Indoor plants and greenery are perfect for your office’s interior. Plants not only purify the surrounding air and boost productivity at work but also help combat stress and anxiety while offering a happier environment. Plants are actually one of the easiest, most cost effective, health enhancing, environmentally beneficial and stylish ways for your business or office to go “Green”.

Earning Montgomery County, Maryland’s Green Business Certification indicates that you are part of an innovative leadership movement to green your business operations and help transition to a sustainable future. We will be more than happy to tell you Snyder Cohn’s “Going Green” story and share our experiences with you.