5 Ways to make a Greener Office
The world is becoming a greener place and the awareness of environmental causes has never been so prominent. We just need to start translating that into our office spaces,as they are a largely forgotten side of the great environmental issue.
At home, you might be eco-conscious and do your bit for the environment, but it’s easy to forget how wasteful we are at the office. In the middle of the daily grind, we all could probably do with being more aware of how green (or not) we are being. As with all green solutions, a small change can make a huge amount of difference. That’s why, by using just 5 adaptations to your office, you can create a truly greener working space.
1. The Great Paper Wastage
The first and huge difference an office can make to the environment is to cut down on the paper! Some offices are unashamedly gluttonous with the reams of paper they get through; thousands upon thousands of sheets being eaten up and wasted every year. It’s not so much that the paper isn’t needed (sometimes it probably isn’t), but that there are much better ways of using it.
A Little Bit One-Sided?
Firstly, the paper is usually only used on one side, when any half-modern photocopier will print on both sides. If every page was printed doubled-sided, an office would use half as much paper, which would make our forests heave a small sigh of relief.
Paper, being such a necessity in any office, should always be recycled. Is it though? How many times have you thrown it straight in the bin? Does your office even recycle at all? Think of all that screwed up paper, scribbled with lists, doodles and failed plans. That could be reused and pumped back out into another office somewhere – perhaps even yours again. Being burnt at some almighty incinerator just isn’t green.
Photo by gringer (Flickr) is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The last point about paper is to order recycled batches for your office supplies. This way, you know straight off, that you are doing your bit for the environment.
2. Recycle around your Office
Recycling has been touched upon, but it’s not just paper that needs to touch base with those different coloured bins. Plastics, card, glass, magazines, cans and all the usual suspects should find their way to the recycling. Making these kinds of simple inroads can only improve your office’s eco outlook.
3. Mind the Lights!
Think about how much light your using. Light is energy and that takes burning of fossil fuels to produce. Do you need to have all the lights on in the day? The awareness of how many lights are switched on should be the start of a positive change. Turning them off won’t just make your office greener, it will make your energy bills smaller – just another incentive to look up at the ceiling and realise what you should be doing.
4. Say no to Disposables
Disposables in the office kitchen area can build up and usually fill the bin to bursting point. Whether it’s plastic cutlery, paper cups or cardboard plates, disposable products just don’t do any good for the environment. Bring in some good old fashioned washable, re-usable items for your kitchen and make this part of your office a greener place to be.
Photo by mrlaugh (Flickr) is licensed under CC BY 2.0
5. Conserve your Energy
Lastly, energy can literally be sucked away through the walls where your heating’s concerned. Much like the light use, monitor how much heating you have, how much you need and whether it’s really necessary. You might have just got in a habit of switching it on and leaving it. Go green and turn it down a notch. Modern serviced office suites, such as those found at Send Business Centre are perfect at energy conservation. Saving on power should be tantamount to the running of your newer, greener business.
The same goes for air conditioning in the summer and how much you should be cooling the office. There are far easier alternatives, such as opening windows and relaxing the dress code that may just save you a few pennies at the same time.
Riverside view from Send Business Centre
