Environment-friendly office practices offer a host of benefits. They help reduce the environment footprint of your office and create a healthier and more productive workplace. Besides, by incorporating such practices, you can also see a positive impact on the financial bottom line of your company over a period of time.
From waste reduction to effective waste management practices, every office has a plethora of opportunities to go green. Listed below are five powerful tips to make your office eco-friendly. Let’s take a look.
1. Build a Sustainability Team
You can raise environmental and safety awareness and achieve your sustainability goals more effectively and faster with the help of a sustainability team. The team can inspect and identify the areas of improvement, create a solid plan of action based on its evaluation to achieve the desired goals. It can educate and empower employees to work together for making the workplace eco-friendly. The team members can work with different departments to gauge the impact of and improve the sustainability efforts as per the company’s need.
2. Reduce Waste and Promote Recycling
Get your employees on board and with the help of your sustainability team educate them about the benefits of reducing waste generated and embrace recycling. Wastage of office supplies and resources such as energy and water should be avoided. Use natural light effectively to reduce the usage of electricity. Electrical appliances should be switched off when not in use. Mugs, cutlery and glasses should be used instead of their disposable counterparts. Eliminate or cut down usage of products such as rubber bands which have no green alternatives.
Promote recycling. For instance, encourage your employee to shred used paper and recycle or reuse it instead of disposing it as waste. Industrial paper shredders are an ideal option which reduce waste production, ensure complete data security and reduce the environmental footprint of your office. Recycle used office supplies rather than disposing them of mindlessly whenever possible. Opt for green products when purchasing office supplies.
3. Switch to Renewable Energy
Thanks to advancements in technology, there are a host of renewable energy options available today which can be easily implemented in offices of any size. Renewable energy resources such as wind and solar energy in form of large-scale wind farms and rooftop solar installations are more accessible today than ever before. You can choose green electricity plans which are priced more competitively as compared to traditional electricity plans. Also, cooling and heating set points should be adjusted in a way that they are a few degrees apart so that the air conditioner doesn’t turn on and off frequently. Carry out periodic maintenance of furnace, air conditioning and heat pump systems so that they don’t consume more energy and run efficiently. Choose caulking and weather-stripping to minimize heat loss from doors and windows.
4. Set Green Challenges
Monthly team challenges create a fun and competitive atmosphere to encourage your employees to go green at the workplace. Even small challenges can help inculcate sustainable habits in your employees which last a lifetime. Set green challenges such as ‘no plastic month’ or ‘reducing, reusing and recycling’ waste. Offer rewards and recognition to boost organization-wide participation.
5. Encourage Green Commuting
Talk to your employees about the benefits of green commuting. They can help lower the carbon emissions considerably by either walking, biking and opting for public transport or carpooling. Offer work-from-home option whenever possible. Use web or video conferencing tools. It helps reduce employee travel, save company budget and reduce scope 3 emissions.
Even small steps can make a huge positive impact towards your goal of an eco-friendly office. Collaborate with like-minded local authorities to achieve faster and better results. Besides environmental and financial benefits, environment-friendly office practices will also give your company an edge over your competitors.
Author Bio: Erich Lawson is passionate about saving the environment through effective recycling techniques and modern innovations. He works with Compactor Management Company and writes on a variety of topics related to recycling, including tips and advice on how balers, compactors and shredders can be used to reduce industrial waste. He loves helping businesses understand how to lower their monthly garbage bills and increase revenue from recycling.
