I stumbled across some excellent tips on going green in the office. I have posted material on how the office space is incredibly neglected when it comes to being eco-friendly. Well in case you haven’t a clue on where to start, stop procrastinating and follow this nice list. It will take some work in order to make the changes necessary; but remember what the end result will be and what purpose this serves.
1. Turn off the lights. Remember to hit the switch on your way out for that well- deserved lunch break. The energy savings from 10 million employees turning off unneeded lights for 30 minutes a day is enough to illuminate 50 million square feet of office space.
2. Use remanufactured Ink and Toner cartridges. About 110% of all offices in the world have at least one printer. Many more have several printers in the office that do a lot of printing. First of all, you can save yourself a ton of cash. An average small or medium office stands to save $1,000- $2,500 easily per year by using this eco-friendly alternative. When you buy a new cartridge, you are not supporting an industry that is cutting down on resources and energy used to produce an item. So next time you need supplies do the right thing for our planet; buy remanufactured, refilled or recharged cartridges for any printer.
3. Put your monitor to sleep. Whether it shows off your vacation photos or a cool 3D animation, a computer screen saver is not at all designed for energy efficiency. It’s intended to save your screen from “burn in,” not to save energy. Because monitors are responsible for more than one-third of a computer’s energy consumption — even with screen savers — the best way to conserve energy is to set the monitor to sleep or power off when you’re away for an extended period. If you’re gone for 5-10 minutes, enjoy one of CI’s screen savers. Any longer than that, put the monitor to sleep.
4. Use the stairs. Your brain gets exercise all day, why not exercise your body? Get your heart pumping by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It’s good for your health, and it saves electricity.
5. Make your printer’s toner last. Being cheap is a first date no-no, but it’s okay to be frugal at the office. When printing rough drafts or documents for internal purposes, change the printer’s settings to economy mode and avoid color if possible. Econo-mode uses up to 50 percent less toner and prints twice as many pages as other higher quality settings. Duplex printing also uses half the amount of paper.
6. Provide incentives for commuters. Free food and a year-end bonus are nice perks, but to really make workers happy, help ease their daily commute. The government rewards businesses that encourage their staff to carpool, bicycle, or walk to work under the Commuter Choice Program. Telecommuting and flexible work hours can also save employers by reducing absences and job retention costs.
7. Recycle and reuse paper. Americans toss out about 35 million tons of paper each year. Buck the trend and start recycling — not only standard white printer paper, but all of the magazines, manila folders, and colored post-it notes that decorate your space. If it tears, it can be recycled. Recycled paper manufacturing generates 74 percent less air pollution, and saves trees, water, and energy. To salvage papers that are printed on one side only, flip them over and use for incoming faxes.
8. Purchase 100 percent post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. Take note when buying paper — the higher the percentage of post-consumer waste, the larger the amount of recycled material is contained in the paper stock. This means that 100 percent post-consumer waste paper is made entirely from recycled products. Also, chlorine used for bleaching is one of the biggest polluters in the paper-making process. Choose non-chlorinated paper, which has the same quality as the bleached variety.
9. Recycle and reuse office supplies. Do as Mom says and clean your plate, literally. Washing and reusing the plastic dishes and cutlery you get with take-away food is an easy way to cut down on waste at work. Better yet, pack your lunch in reusable containers and pocket your hard-earned dollars! Skip the paper (or worse, Styrofoam) cups and refill your travel mug at the nearby coffee shop instead. It may even get you a discount. Besides aluminum cans and glass bottles, there are many other supplies stashed in and around your desk that are recyclable, such as batteries, printer cartridges, DVDs, CDs, and more.
10. Curb phantom electricity. Many appliances still consume energy even when turned off. Items left plugged into the wall, such as a cell phone charger or laptop adapter, can leak more than 20 watts of power. In the United States alone, “phantom electricity” emits roughly 12 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Avoid this by plugging office equipment into a power strip and turning it off at night and on weekends.
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Great tips, I´ll be using them as I try to get the company that recently hired me to go green.
-Daniel Aguilar
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Let’s go green!
Most of these things that can be done in the office have to do with actual office supplies. I know as the different seasons change, so does the temperature in your work environment. It’s like the North Pole in my office during the winter and like Hell in the summer. What about switching to bioheat? We made the change where I work and we didn’t even have to replace our heating system. It’s heating oils mixed with every-day products of nature like oat and corn oil, Which also make a fabulous facial mask I might add. It’s biodegradable and non-toxic too, so it would definitely contribute to preserving the earth. And OMG, during the winter I no longer have to worry about dressing like Frosty the Snowman because it keeps me warm and toasty.
Trust me If I would have never started working for NORA, I would have never even put this much effort into being green. I got some awesome tips from:
http://oilheatamerica.com/index.mv?screen=bioheat.
Check it out and see what other fun facts it has to offer.
Great info:) hope to visit soon:)