Not sure where to find all the great ideas that can put your company on the green business curve? Ask the experts on your products and operations — your employees.

They’re the ones closest to the action, and they know just which stones to turn over for an efficiency gain. And, once they realize that green innovations are also the things that can save your company money, employees usually rise to the challenge.

That’s how Xerox has kept its lean-is-green, cost-cutting programs running since 1986, when it created an in-house Earth Awards program to honor workers with good ideas. This year, the company’s employees created eco-friendly projects that:

• saved over $7.3 million
• eliminated 1.3 million pounds of waste, and
• reduced energy use by 500,000 kilowatt hours.

One idea that helped trim some of Xerox’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was to replace a chilled water system with an ammonia-based refrigeration system. This cut GHGs at a plant in the Netherlands by 130,000 kilograms a month and saved $15,000 a year, thanks to reduced operating expenses.

Employees also suggested reusing and recycling the packaging that came with parts sent to a New York facility. Instead of paying to dispose of this in landfills, the company reused 800,000 sheets of foam, 200,000 pieces of tab board, 60,000 plastic bags, 57,000 corrugated cartons and 6,900 skids.

Canadian employees found a way to revamp a toner technology to reduce water usage and increase product yield. Bottom line: They saved the company $140,000 a year.

Details on Xerox’s money-saving programs are here.

Tags: Earth Awards, greenhouse gas emissions, Xerox