Why Now Is The Time For Iowa Businesses To Go Green
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As more and more businesses are reopening across Iowa, the introduction of safety regulations will be crucial to the economic recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses of all sizes, forcing many to close down during lockdown. Allowing the local economy to grow again needs to be a slow and careful process. The virus has not gone away. As long as there is no vaccine available, customers and entrepreneurs have to make necessary adjustments to prevent a second pandemic peak.
Social distancing rules remain in place in the majority of businesses across Iowa. Gyms, restaurants, and even grocery stores have worked hard to introduce new safety regulations, from counting their visitors to marking safety distancing in their premises. A lot of business owners have also asked their customers to wear a mask when coming to their stores and shops. Additionally, small shops are turning to the online world to maintain their interactions with their customers, offering online shopping and video call options. Some of these changes also have a positive impact on the environment, reducing carbon footprint through limited commutes. But there is a bigger green opportunity to seize for Iowa businesses.
We are already changing the business rules
One of the main obstacles to making the world a greener place is the change in habits. Individuals and companies find it challenging to adjust to a new routine, even if it can deliver positive results. Old habits are hard to eliminate! However, the pandemic has encouraged businesses to transform their day-to-day activities to reduce risks and protect their customers and team. A few months ago, wearing face covers would have been unthinkable. However, in the wake of the pandemic, people are rarely seen without a face mask. The reason? They understand that the consequences could be dramatic. The introduction of regulations designed to reduce environmental pressures also serves a health purpose. They are necessary to protect our health and the health of future generations. Now that people are mindful of how their choices affect global health, the environmental discussion is bound to be heard.
Turning waste into income can recoup pandemic losses
Environmental measures can also prove useful for economic recovery. Indeed, restaurants can, for instance, look into recycling cooking oils as per https://gfcommodities.com/our-services/used-cooking-oils-recycling/. They could even get paid to recycle their old oil. Offices and stores can also join the Zero Waste initiative in Iowa – check https://iowapirg.org/feature/iap/zero-waste for more information. The program encourages reusable items, such as banning single-use plastic and simplified access to repair parts and tools. The bottom line? Businesses can save money, making the recovery journey less bumpy.
The pandemic has highlighted health & environmental risks
Iowa’s agriculture economy has faced challenges during the pandemic. Swine producers were among the first to suffer from the closure of processing plants and markets. Additionally, many small farming businesses found it hard to apply the new health regulations in their day-to-day work, putting themselves and the animals at risk. The confined production system facilitates spread and contagion, without mentioning its impact on the local environment. To better prepare for further COVID-19 waves, Iowa’s agriculture businesses are trying to transform their operations.
Unsplash – CC0 LicenseFor Iowa businesses, the pandemic recovery offers a unique opportunity to address environmental risks and challenges that have been ignored for too long. Now that the public is ready to change their habits to protect each other’s health, it’s time to introduce cost-saving and environmentally meaningful transformations.
