New Orleans’ vibrant and unique heritage is being put at risk by extreme weather. In recent years, New Orleans has been inundated by high levels of extreme weather – and this is now starting to present long-term change, with rising sea levels and stronger hurricanes on the horizon according to a NOLA.com report. With these changes comes a huge risk to human life and the incredible culture New Orleans has created over its history. Everyone needs to pitch in – business included. Only a few small changes can make a serious dent in the emissions each business is giving off, and thats something worth striving for.
Simple changes
Businesses and their daily operations have a huge impact on the environment. By making small but important changes, businesses can help make New Orleans a healthier and safer place to live, and combat long-term climate change. That, in turn, will help to safeguard their own future business growth and ensure that there’s a city left for them to serve. One simple way to incorporate green changes into a business is by looking at the cleaning products used; the World Economic Forum shows that the products used have a chemical impact on the environment further down the chain, as well as producing carbon emissions. Shifting towards green and eco-friendly cleaning products, and overhauling processes to move towards carbon neutrality can create a big impact.
Employee Initiatives
Businesses can also integrate a greener way of working into their workspace by inspiring employees to become more eco-friendly inside and outside of work. Organizing meetups to discuss ways in which this can be done is a great way to encourage your staff to think about the small day to day changes that can be implemented. Using recycled printer paper, turning off computer monitors at the end of the day and encouraging eco-friendly commuting practices, such as carpools and cycling, are some further small changes that can have a big impact.
Eco-friendly NOLA
Plenty of New Orleans businesses have identified the risks posed by climate change and are taking steps to become greener. The loss of prime real estate is arguably one of the driving factors; according to Insider magazine, Louisiana has the highest rate of wetlands loss in the country – an estimated 1,900 square miles since 1932. Due to the rapid deterioration of Louisianas coastline, a nonprofit, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, is teaming up with restaurants to rebuild it using recycled oyster shells. This is a great example of what businesses can achieve when adapting a greener way of working which will have an impact on the businesses themselves and the wider community.
Preserving New Orleans unique culture requires drastic change – from everyone. Its more important than ever for the businesses of New Orleans to start their journey to become more eco-friendly. This is possible with small, simple changes, which, when combined, are greater than the sum of their parts.
