|
|
| What you can do in your office |
 |
- Make your workplace environmentally sound. Establish a green team to assess your company's social and environmental responsibility policies and incorporate environmental initiatives.
- Encourage your workplace to purchase from green vendors.
- Use staples, paper clips and white glue rather than more toxic adhesives. Use soy-based inks and chlorine-free paper.
- Keep plants in your office. They help cleanse the air.
- Make environmental education a priority at every level of the organization.
- Start an office recycling program for office and computer paper, cardboard, etc. and educate the staff to its purpose and uses.
- Use recycled paper for printing, photocopies, stationery and business cards.
- Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.
- Print and photocopy only when necessary, only the number you really need, using both sides of the paper.
- Turn on PC printers only when needed and turn them off after completing the task.
- When using computers, use less paper. Get into the habit of seeing and proofing everything on-screen before you print.
- Turn off PCs when leaving the area for an extended time, especially at the end of the business day.
- Buy only toner cartridges (for printers and photocopiers) that are recyclable and never throw those away. Many toner manufacturers give a rebate for returned and recycled toner cartridges.
- Use smaller paper for smaller memos.
- Save and reuse whatever packaging material comes with your computer boxes and accessories.
- Minimize use of plastic styrofoam. It takes over 500 years for styrofoam to break down in a landfill.
- Re-use manila envelopes and file folders.
- Hide the disposable cups and train people to bring reusable mugs to meetings and lunch. Many beverage vending machines will also accept a reusable mug in place of the machine's cups.
- Route things around the office or post less urgent communications on bulletin boards rather than making multiple copies.
- Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Most businesses use fluorescent lights which do save energy, but they often leave them on when not needed. Switch off lights whenever they are not needed. Take advantage of natural daylight whenever possible.
- Keep lights off in copier rooms, conference rooms, and storage areas until light is actually needed.
- Clean or replace air conditioning filters once a month.
- Office air conditioners are often set too cold. If there is a controllable thermostat in your work area, set it for minimum energy use -- 68 degrees Fahrenheit / 20 Centigrade in the winter; 78 degrees Fahrenheit / 25.6 Centigrade in the summer.
- Don't open outside windows for more than a few minutes when the outside temperature will trigger heating or cooling.
- Switch off your computer monitor when not in use or at lunch time.
- Use electronic mail instead of paper.
- Minimize travel and meetings wherever practical by using electronic mail, telephone, voice mail, and fax. (Small amounts of fax paper are often less destructive than burning gasoline.)
- Help your co-workers learn how to carpool to work, and when using company cars or company-rented cars.
- Encourage prioritize vegetarian diets instead of meat diets in the cafeterias.
- Put a plastic beverage container filled with water in your toilets' water tanks to save water and money. (People have used bricks for the same purpose but some bricks will erode and harm your plumbing.) Adjust the size of the container until the right amount of water is flushed.
- Arrange for your office cleaning people to use environmentally friendly cleaning products.
- Tinted glass, venetian blinds and curtains will save energy and reduce air conditioning costs.
- Office building landscape need not be limited to sterile lawns and bedding plants. Plant trees and shrubs that birds will like.
- Put a bird feeder outside your office window. It's a great conversation piece.
|
