The top three things office-based businesses can do to make their offices more environmentally conscious — especially if they have not yet made any effort in that regard

Companies have considerable discretion to explore different market strategies to deal with global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Companies can choose between a greater emphasis on improvements in their business activities through innovation or by employing compensatory approaches such as emissions trading.  The overall goal of an emissions trading plan is to reduce emissions which helps to achieve pollution reduction at the lowest possible cost to society.  They can choose to act by themselves or work with other companies, NGOs, or (local) governments.

If possible, some companies can take their initiatives a step further by integrating measures using renewable energy.  Renewable energy utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are all naturally replenished.  Some companies are using renewable energy technologies ranging from solar power, wind power and hydroelecticity to biomass and biofuels for transportation.

All levels of management and employees must be involved.

Companies with sustainable development policies with stated environmental practices may help encourage an employees’ willingness to eco-innovate.  They can then influence managers to adopt behaviors that employees perceive to be supportive of environmental actions.  By doing so this will specify which behaviors and policies are most effective at supporting environmental innovations.

Make sure everyone is committed to carrying out even the simplest of tasks such as properly recycling paper and plastic.  Reducing their water usage and using more environmentally preferable materials, substances or organic products.  Shutting off equipment and lights or having motion-activated sensors installed (lighting accounts for 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from commercial buildings).