In order to make their offices more Earth-friendly, many business owners are embracing a variety of green policies. Although it may seem overwhelming to make changes at first, there are a lot of easy ways to make your business more environmentally-friendly. From allowing employees to use their personal smartphones to encouraging car pooling, your company and employees can make a difference. If you’re ready to jump on this trend, consider the following ideas:

Implement a Bring Your Own Device Policy

One way to green up the workplace is by implementing a bring your own device (BYOD) policy. There are numerous advantages for encouraging employees to use their personal devices at work. For example, if your employees use one laptop, smartphone or tablet for both work and personal, at least one less device ends up in a landfill. These devices are made from raw materials such as gold, silver and tantalum, which often come from overseas and therefore result in extra shipping and transportation.

People who use their own devices at work also tend to feel more comfortable with them, which can lead to fewer errors and greater productivity. Because these devices will be used more hours of the day, you should consider investing in an insurance policy. Some phones even come with a protection plan. For example, the HTC One M9 features an UH OH HTC plan at no extra charge. This way, if an employee drops and breaks the phone during a conference call or at his or her kid’s soccer game, you’re covered.

Encourage Car Pooling

Another option for helping your business go green is to encourage your employees to carpool or take alternative modes of transportation to work. For example, offer people who carpool the prime spots in the parking lot or give them a pass for covered parking. You also can buy bus passes in bulk at a lower cost and distribute them to interested employees. Find fun ways to praise workers who walk or ride their bikes to work by giving them small giftcards or mentioning them in your company newsletter.

Inspire Them to Use Less Energy

Inspire your employees to use less energy at work and at home. Start by tracking your company’s energy expenses for a couple of months, and then post the amount for everyone to see. Then, let everyone know that if and when the power bill goes down, the difference will be used to reward their efforts. You can reward them by throwing a party using the savings, making an improvement to the break room or taking them on a company outing.

To help enforce and encourage this policy, suggest tangible ways to use less energy, such as keeping lights off, letting in natural light, turning off computers overnight and printing less.

If everyone does a little to contribute, your business can easily go green. And, if every business in the country does their part, then we’ll be on our way to a healthier planet.