Sustainability Business Efficiency

How Sustainability Can Increase the Efficiency of Your Business

Many city based businesses such as a web design company are using the fact that they follow sustainability guidelines in their offices as a marketing angle in the hope of attracting like minded clients. In fact, they are successful at this in most cases, since people now realise the importance of doing their small bit to help save the earth’s resources by reducing their carbon footprint.

Such practices don’t even take much effort and many actually save you money, so it’s worthwhile to find out what you can do and implementing some, if not all the strategies. For instance, if your small office needs a new printer, you might consider getting one that will do more than one job. Or you might want to look at the specifications to see whether there is a toner or ink saver mode.

If all offices were to do this, the whole mounts up and saves in several ways –

  • The business saves on the cost of ink or toner
  • Using a multifunction printer can save on space in the office
  • There is less rubbish going into landfill
  • There are fewer resources being used to replace products and accessories.

Another way to save is simply to make sure you choose a printer – or other product – that is suitable for your output. If you choose a cheap printer that is slow to print one page, the power used in printing is excessive when you need to have at least 20 pages printed in a day. But if your printer’s output is 20 pages per minute, the device is only working for one minute – unless you want more pages than that.

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Reduce Your Environmental Footprint

6 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint

People in the modern world are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact and the way their actions affect parts of the planet thousands of kilometres away. Small business owners across the country – from digital marketing agencies to family-owned grocery stores – are modifying their workplace practices to minimize their environmental footprint, and you should be doing the same.

I’ve spent some time researching the topic to bring you the following six ways to reduce your office’s environmental footprint. Remember, every business is different, so you won’t necessarily have to focus on every one of these. Nevertheless, they are still very useful.

  1. Recycle as Much as Possible

Recycling is one of the best ways to reduce your office’s carbon footprint. One thing a lot of people don’t realise is that pretty much everything can be recycled if you look hard enough. Old electronics can be taken to specified disposal points, furniture can be donated to op shops or repurposed, and even single-use plastics can be recycled if you try hard enough.

  1. Reduce Paper Usage

A major issue in many offices is excessive paper usage. You can make your business more environmentally friendly by spending some time analyzing your paper use and reducing where possible. For example, only print where necessary, reuse old printing as scrap paper for note taking, and reduce paper communication.

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Reduce Office Water Usage

How Can We Reduce Office Water Usage

Many small business owners don’t realise just how much reducing their office water usage can help the environment. Let’s imagine that you run a small SEO company. You don’t use significant amounts of water during everyday work processes, so you shouldn’t have to worry about wasting too much precious life juice, right?

Wrong!

Once you’ve finished reading this article, you might be amazed by just how much water you can save in the office, regardless of the type of business you run. And water saving is becoming increasingly valuable, especially when Australia’s regular droughts and severe water shortages are taken into account.

Here are a few of the easiest ways to reduce water usage in your office:

Ensure Your Plumbing Is Properly Maintained

Even a small drip can lead to huge volumes of wasted water every year and that you need plumbing service immediately. Let’s look at a little example:

If a tap drips 20 times per minute, you will be wasting approximately 600mL per hour. Multiply this by 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a slowly dripping tap will be wasting over 5250 litres per year.

That’s right, even a slow drip will waste over 5 cubic meters of water per year! I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how important it is to get these fixed.

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Concrete Pool Remodelling Versus Replacement

Concrete Pool Remodelling Versus Replacement

If you have a concrete pool within your property, and it is looking less than 100%, with possibly even some damage, or if you are unhappy with the design, then the decision has to be made as to whether you are going to remodel the pool, or completely replace it with a new one.

This throws up a number of questions in addition to the primary one of whether to remodel or renew. There is the question of what size of budget you are to need for either option, what design ideas are going to work in either case, and whether you and your family are prepared for the upheaval that the likes of the pool being removed and replaced are going to create.

Often the first option that most people consider is the remodelling one for a number of reasons. The most obvious one is related to budget with the fact that having a concrete swimming pool remodelled is going to cost a whole lot less than having one removed, and a completely new one installed by an expert.

That is not to say that remodelling a concrete pool is a cheap exercise, as it will still require a five-figure dollar amount, but it can often work out to be around 50% of the cost of the removal and replacement of a concrete pool.

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Commercial Concrete Floor Coatings

Advantages Of Commercial Concrete Floor Coatings For Offices

It is true that many offices have plush carpets but what about those offices that have a concrete floor, and where using a carpet would not be suitable or appropriate? The answer is to either use concrete floor coatings or concrete paint which can provide a superb finish when done by concrete floor coatings professionals, which in most cases is even safer than the use of carpet.

In fact, using concrete floor coatings to refinish a concrete floor in an office setting has many advantages for the business that does so, and for those who work in that office.

Durability

One of the top reasons that a business will choose to have its concrete office floors refinished using special concrete floor coating is that it will greatly prolong the life of that floor. Obviously concrete is a relatively robust material, however, it can deteriorate, and get damaged.

Rather than having the upheaval of closing the office every time when repairs are needed due to a problem with, or damage to, the concrete floor, with a coating protecting it there is little chance of any remedial work ever being needed.

Safer And Healthier Working Environment

Offices are not the first workplace that would normally come to mind when thinking about accidents at work, however, they can, and most certainly, do, happen there. Concrete floor coatings are non-slip so even if someone is rushing to the photo copier, they should have a secure grip underfoot.

Concrete floor coatings are also healthier in the sense that unlike carpets and other soft floor coverings, they do not attract and retain bacteria and other undesirables, such as allergens.

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How to Get Rid of Bad Smells Lingering in Your Home

There’s nothing quite like coming home to the beautiful smell of dinner wafting out from the kitchen, or bread baking in the bread maker. But what about those smells you don’t want? There’s nothing quite like them either, but for an altogether different reason. When it comes to bad smells lingering in your home, getting to the source, and cleaning them is of the utmost importance. Read on to learn what it takes to say goodbye to them for good.

Identify What the Smell Is  

There’s no point rushing to the supermarket to pick up deodorisers, sprays, and candles if you don’t know what is causing the bad smell. By doing so, you’re masking it, rather than removing the source. Even though it’s not going to be pleasing to your senses to sniff around for the odour, it’s the only option you have to find it.

What does it smell like? Could it be dangerous? Is it stronger when you’re in a particular area of your home? Has it come on suddenly, or has it been getting worse? Identification is key to then moving on to getting rid of it.

Mould

If your home has a unique, musty odour, then there’s every reason to believe that mould could be to blame. Mold and mildew can smell like old mothballs or even wet cardboard and is quite distinctive.

It’s also more common around parts of your home prone to moisture, such as bathrooms. The first step to removing mould in your home is correcting the problem. If it’s caused by a leak in your bathroom, for example, then fixing that leak can stop the production of mould in its tracks.

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Benefits of Landscaping

The Benefits of Good Landscaping

Many people are purchasing fix-me-up properties to not only make their mark but make a profit. They will take a home that no one put a lot of time into, add their stamp, improve it, then sell it off to someone who wants a home already finished. Others will buy a standard property then enhance its overall look and landscaping so that they can live in it comfortably.

In many cases, people who buy property don’t put as much passion or love into the landscaping as they do the interior of the house. If you ask Intreeg Landscapes, they say the landscape is more valuable than you think, and here’s why.

It Adds Value
If you spend time and money on good landscape design, you are more than likely going to see it back in your hand when the time comes to sell. The average percentage increase of value that landscaping brings can be between 5-12 percent and depends on whether you’ve had an expert’s touch – which is recommended – and the overall value of the property as well.

If you are looking for a quick flick on a property, then dedicate a few extra days to your yard. You’d be surprised at the difference a little bit of weeding, gardening, and landscaping can make.

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Landscape with Pets

How to Landscape with Pets in Mind

Did you know there are 20 dogs for every 100 people in Australia? That’s nearly five million dogs in a country of dog lovers. Divine Landscapes advise that if you have one or more, then you’ll likely want to think of ways to make your yard not only beautiful but more appealing to your furry friend as well. Landscape design can be more than merely appealing to adults, so here’s how to achieve the best of both worlds.

Add a Pond
Water features such as ponds and waterfalls can be beneficial for your mental health. However, they can also be a reason for wagging tails. Dogs love to drink fresh water, so why not create a safe and flowing pond or waterfall that’s welcoming for your dog? For safety reasons, ensure there is a safe area for them to access the water, such as a gentle slope. If you’re not sure how to pull it off, consult a landscape design expert.

Full Fencing

Around nine dogs from every 1,000 resi   dents are picked up by dog control in Australia every year. While many of those dogs are strays and require rehoming, many escape their owners’ poorly fenced properties. If you are going to incorporate your dog’s needs into your landscape design, then fencing should be your first priority.

Choose the appropriate fence sizing based on how much of an escape artist your dog is. As a rule of thumb, the bigger your dog, the taller the fence you need. If you’re not sure how to achieve function and beauty with your landscape design, a landscaping expert in your area can help.

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Glass Pool Fence

Top Tips For Maintaining Your Glass Pool Fence

With the rise in popularity of glass pool fencing, it’s important to make sure that people know how to look after and maintain their glass fences. Other forms of pool fencing – such as the metal tubular style – have traditionally been designed to hide dirt and to require little maintenance.

Unfortunately, according to property maintenance experts Complete Projects, this isn’t the case with glass fencing. Glass shows even the smallest specks of dirt, and will even appear ‘dirty’ if it’s not dried after being wet. It can therefore appear hard to maintain glass fences, but it’s really not if you know what you’re doing.

Below you will find a list of our top tips from Glass Pool Fencing Perth to keep your glass pool fence looking as good as new for years to come:

  1. Make Sure You Clean Regularly

Regular cleaning is one of the most important things when it comes to keeping your glass pool fence in good condition. However, it’s very important to make sure that you clean your fence properly. Avoid harsh abrasives and chemicals, and try not to scratch or otherwise damage your glass while you’re cleaning.

Exactly how often you clean your fence will depend on you and how motivated you are, but you should try and clean it at least every 2-4 weeks if you live in a harsh environment. Examples of harsh environments include near the ocean or in areas where mineral rich bore water is used.

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Landscaping Ideas

Prevent Flooding with These Landscaping Ideas

Depending on where you live in Australia, flooding may or may not be a problem for you. However, if it tends to rain more often than not, you might find you need to get creative with your landscaping options. Failure to take care of flooding and water flow can result in a soggy yard that you use less than you would like.

Check out this helpful advice, we put together with Wild Realtor, below

Locate the Problem

Before you go and buy everything you need for your landscaping task, find out why and how you have a problem with flooding in the first place. Typically, flooding occurs when the earth can’t absorb any more water, with nowhere to drain. It then moves to the lowest point in your property – the place where you need to install drainage. Sometimes, flooding can occur with heavy rain in a short space of time. It falls quicker than your soil can absorb it.

Find Out if Your Property is Prone

Flooding can be a once-off occurrence, or your property could be prone to it.  Common signs your property is likely to flood are include a sloping lawn, stains around your home’s cladding, a missing top gutter system, and water pooling on your driveway.

Divert Water

When you begin to alter your landscaping, think about where water typically floods and take action. The last thing you want is for it to end up right in the area you’ve just turned into a barbecue nook! Install a spouting system that helps to divert the water away from your house. You may also like to include downspout extenders to draw it away.

Use It To Your Advantage

Does your property flood in the same place all the time? If you can’t fix it, work with it. Create a rain garden in this area. Add flood-proof plants, dig out the turf, install an overflow and berm, and add mulch with native grasses. Before you know it, your previously-flooded lawn is a beautiful rain garden that looks the part.

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