Three ways to make your translation business greener
You've said goodbye to single-use bottles. You bring your shopping home in reusable bags. You've switched to paperless billing. But what other actions can you take to run a freelance translation business with a smaller environmental footprint? Here are three suggestions:
Purposeful printing
If you haven't made the trade yet, opting for paper made out of 100% post-consumer recycled fibre is a great place to start. Recycled paper has come a long way from its brown and tan roots and is now almost identical to virgin-fibre paper in terms of quality and price. Along with conserving forest resources, recycled paper also takes much less water to make (while you are at it, consider switching your bathroom to recycled toilet paper from Who Gives A Crap).
I use Hammermill Great White 100 for all of my printing. It is acid-free, made out of 100% post-consumer fibre and certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council. I've reduced my paper use to a minimum, and have just one client left that requires paper invoices (and they are switching to electronic billing soon – hurrah!).
When I do have to print something out, I make sure to use both sides of the page and always print in draft mode to minimise ink usage. And, of course, all of my printer cartridges are recycled at a local office supply store. Once my current printer expires, I am thinking about switching to an Epson EcoTank, which uses refillable tanks rather than cartridges.
Responsible recycling
Speaking of end-of-life appliances, it's important to make sure that your non-functioning printers, computers and monitors are recycled responsibly – if refurbishment and repair aren't an option. Look for a certified electronics recycler by visiting the E-Stewards Initiative. Set up by the Basel Action Network in 2003, the E-Stewards Initiative makes sure that hazardous, illegal e-waste is not exported to developing nations, landfilled or recycled using forced or child labour. You might end up paying a nominal fee, but it's worth it to know that you are doing the right thing and putting materials back into the loop. Just make sure that you have deleted all personal information from your devices before dropping them off at a certified recycler.
Online opportunities
Last but not least, you can explore ways to reduce the carbon footprint created directly by your business via the use of digital technologies. I was shocked to learn that these activities account for 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions – almost the same as the aviation sector.
When my current web hosting contract is up, I'll be switching to Green Geeks, which buys wind energy credits to offset the energy used by its servers. Along with matching three times the amount of energy it takes from the grid by buying renewable energy credits, Green Geeks also plants one tree for each new hosting account.
And speaking of trees, I have my own little virtual forest now, thanks to Ecologi. After five months, I have almost 300 trees in my forest and have reduced 9.2 tonnes of CO2e. I plan to add another 50 trees for each new project this year, and am looking forward to working with more clients to make our world (and their words) that little bit greener.