About Going Green

VisitScotland has devised an initiative for businesses interested in "greening" their operations. At present, 10% of Scottish businesses are taking part in VisitScotland’s Green Tourism Business Scheme. To enable more businesses to benefit from greater awareness of greener practices, VisitScotland has developed the Going Green checklist.

The checklist and associated information, gives you:

• Ideas of what you can do now
• A list of things to do, over the year, that will have a positive effect on your environmental impact and improve business performance.

Going green is easier than you think and will benefit your business in more ways than you may realise. It is about saving money by implementing simple, practical ideas.

By undertaking actions listed on the checklist you are taking steps towards sustainability and Green Tourism Business Scheme accreditation.

To benefit from the Going Green initiative you must be participating in one of VisitScotland's Quality Assurance schemes.

Going Green makes good business sense with rising overheads such as energy bills, as working in this way is just about being less wasteful and as efficient as possible. Participation in Going Green is free of charge.

Q & A

Examples of Going Green

Going green can be simple if you know what it looks like. That is why we wanted to offer some examples of what going green might look like in a corporate/commercial/business environment.

Switch off: Educating your employees on the importance of doing something as simple as switching off a light switch when you leave a room (providing no one is still in there of course!) can go a long way to helping you go green as a business.

Disposable: Similarly, reminding your staff to minimise their use of disposal plastic items like cups and cutlery should set you off to a good start. 

Sustainable design: As the old saying goes, buy cheap, buy twice. This is true when it comes to office furniture also. Whens shopping for interior pieces, make sure you select sturdy, reliable chairs, desks and tables from well know brands and manufacturers. When shopping for outdoor furniture, consider the materials being used also. For example. buying teak garden furniture which is available from a number of specialist suppliers online and offline (like the one we just linked to!) can ensure you aren't replacing your furniture every year, helping to minimise waste.

Waste not: Another really simple thing you can remind your workers to do is to minimise water waste. By turning taps off and being cautious with your water usage, you can minimise your eco footprint. 

Bins: You likely got recycling bins in your office for a reason and with the best of intentions. Although that doesn't mean everyone knows about the importance of using them! Why not hold a recycling workshop to help your team better understand they impact their recycling could have on the environment.

Now you have a few examples from us, we encourage you to look for other opportunities to go green in your office. Why not share them with those other businesses operating near you to!