As part of their mission, most charities and associations first form with the express goal to make a positive contribution or change within their community. When we seek to add to the common good and welfare of others, we should, however, also be aware of the impact our NFP has on our shared environment.

After all, while humanity has visited the moon, we still only have one planet on which to live out our lives. We should all work together to minimise any harmful damage to our ecosystem that might arise as a result of our activities.

The following are a few ideas to help your nonprofit go green and adopt more environmentally friendly practices and policies.

Take Steps to Reduce Your NFPs Use of Paper and Plastics

Most NFPs use a lot of paper in their activities. For example, it’s not uncommon for nonprofits to print out individual program booklets for every expected attendee of a conference, awards ceremony, gala or other occasion. Hard copies of informational brochures, the budget and annual reports are also often printed and are then found in the waste basket once the meeting or other event is over.

To reduce the impact on the environment, consider printing less physical copies by having attendees share printed documents and move as many of your documents as possible online.

Offering plastic water bottles, event swag items and other promotional materials made of plastics are two common areas where NFP activities can have a negative impact on the environment. Look for ways to offer promos that are either online, or, that are made of materials that are more durable and from renewable or recycled resources.

Consider installing a water fountain in your facilities and having your people provide their reusable mug or bottle rather than stocking disposable plastic water bottles.

Adopt a Recycling Policy

Does your nonprofit have a formal policy on recycling, and do you offer facilities that make it easy for your staff, volunteers and service recipients to recycle? For those items that you do need to print out, make certain that you have a designated area in your facilities to collect paper documents for recycling this resource, rather than disposing of documents in the regular trash.

In addition to paper, most plastics and printer cartridges, even old electronics can be recycled. The University of Buffalo has a handy list of common items that can be recycled to help ensure that you aren’t missing any opportunities to reduce your impact through recycling.

If your nonprofit must use plastics and other non-renewables, designate a collection point for these items on-site so that they can be reused and don’t wind up in community landfills.

Consider the Environmental Impact Made by Vendors and Suppliers

When you award contracts for office supplies, furniture and any of the other dozens, if not hundreds of items that your nonprofit needs to function, do you take into consideration whether your vendors and suppliers have an environmental policy of their own? If not, perhaps you should.

While you most certainly want to get a good price for the items that you purchase for your NFP, if the cost and service are of a similar quality, why not go with a company that is helping everyone by working to reduce their environmental impact?

Look for Ways to Reduce Energy Consumption

Finally, a relatively easy way that you can help protect the planet is by reducing your nonprofit’s overall consumption of energy. Some ideas to help your NFP use less energy include adjusting the thermostat and making an effort to plug leaks that might lead to an increased need for heating and cooling. Install energy efficient appliances and lightbulbs to reduce the need for electricity. Install a timer on your lights and water heater to further lessen the need for energy.

If you’ve been considering an upgrade to your heating or cooling system, why not find a more environmentally friendly solution, such as the wind or solar, over electricity that is generated by burning commodities such as kerosene, natural gas, coal or other fossil fuels?