Adopting eco-friendly business practices at your company helps fight the harmful effects of climate change. It also benefits your business by attracting like-minded employees who value your efforts to help heal the planet. Here are five simple environmentally friendly practices to implement at your small business.

1) Encourage energy-saving activities

Instruct your staff to switch off the lights whenever they leave a room at the office. Discourage the use of screensavers on all company computers and laptops and ask employees to utilize “sleep” mode instead. Make it a company policy for all staff to power down their computer and unplug any power strips at the end of their work day.

2) Add incentives for alternative commute options

Announce rewards for employees who walk, bike, cycle or take public transportation to commute to work. Consider offering your staff company subsidies on public transit passes as an eco-friendly perk. Also, coordinate carpools for those who live in proximity to each other.

3) Offer remote work opportunities

Whenever possible, offer telecommuting as an option to your staff. Today’s technology allows you to conduct virtual meetings and use instant messaging to communicate with employees from any location. You could start by offering remote work a few days a week to test the idea.

4) Go paperless

Limit the use of paper as much as possible. Send all memos and company newsletters electronically via e-mail. Create an internal company website to store digital copies of procedure manuals, calendars, and human resources information for employees. Your staff will appreciate having one central electronic source to find all the necessary company information.

5) Green up the break room

You can make several changes to your break room or kitchen to become more eco-friendly. Add a water cooler so employees can refill reusable water bottles instead of relying on disposable bottled water. If your room has a sink, eliminate disposable plastic or paper utensils and cups by purchasing silverware, dishes, and coffee cups that your staff can wash and reuse instead. Add an assortment of healthy snacks created by green companies to help your employees avoid the mid-afternoon energy slump. As a final step, stock the room with green cleaning products.

Implementing one or more of these ideas helps you transition your company to an eco-friendly business. In addition, they set you on the path of creating even more sustainable practices in the future that could lead to tax incentives and possible government contracts.