People are beginning to take note of their carbon footprint and are seeking ways to reduce it. Cars are now running on electricity. Homes are powered by solar panels. But the movement towards sustainable practices and consideration of the environment has now reached the office. If you are interested in joining the movement and want to make your workplace more eco-friendly, here are 6 brilliant ways to go about it:
- Ditch the Old Office
One of the most cost-effective ways that you can create an eco-friendly workplace is by taking advantage of serviced offices. By working out of a serviced office, you reduce your carbon footprint by sharing a business center which includes phones, furniture, and, of course, restrooms. You may even find yourself in a LEED certified building.
- Fire the Fax Machine
In a world of emails, PDF editors, and cloud-sharing, there should be no need for a fax machine in the office anymore. You may not even remember the last time you used one. As a
result, improve your carbon footprint and cement yourself in the digital world by getting rid of your old fax machine.
- Shut Down Devices at Night
You may find that when the workday ends it is easiest to log out of your computer and head out the door. The problem with doing so is that your device is drawing energy every second it is left on. This not only costs money in the form of your energy bill but it’s also not environmentally friendly. Take a few extra minutes to shut your computer and any other devices down before you leave at night, and unplug them as well.
- Go Paperless
In the era of archiving files on the cloud, a computer should be able to quickly store or access every file you could possibly need. When you take your workplace paperless, you not only save yourself time digging through records, opening mail, and working with manual files, you also become environmentally friendly. Every ream of paper you save is equivalent to about 6% of a tree, not to mention the emissions and energy used to make that ream of paper. In addition to environmental reasons, going paperless can benefit your business.
- Recycle
If your office does offer a recycling bin, spend the few dollars to get one as soon as possible. You will be amazed how quickly it fills up from boxes, packing materials, and discarded envelopes. You could even purchase a recycling bin for various types of materials: paper, plastic, and metal. The option to mindfully dispose of garbage is becoming increasingly prevalent in society, so chances are good your co-workers are already sorting their materials for proper disposal.
- Repurpose Office Items
This idea requires a little creativity. If you have ever re-upholstered a chair, refinished a table or re-painted a bookshelf, you have what it takes to repurpose items in your office. Instead of throwing out old office furniture, give it a new life and minimize your carbon footprint in the process.
Turning your office into an environmentally friendly location can be rewarding both intrinsically and financially. You can ease yourself into it by shutting down your devices at night and recycling. As you grow bolder, you can get rid of your fax machine, repurpose office items, and go paperless. If you are able to take a more significant step, ditch the old office in favor of sharing workspace with others. You cannot take the wrong step you can take in this effort.
