Want to become a more sustainable office? Here are some tips on how embracing natural light, paperless meetings, and working from home can help your company save money and energy.
1. Start a sustainability team for your office
A sustainability team can both raise awareness and accomplish. Projects for the team could include starting or enabling a more successful recycling program, and helping to inform purchasing decisions on energy-efficient appliances and green cleaning supplies.
2. Create monthly green challenges
Monthly team challenges can be a fun way of combining competition and going green. You can challenge the office to go a month with no plastic eating utensils, and reward those who stick with it by offering small prizes, such as coffee gift cards or snacks.
3. Turn off electronics, lighting, and heat every evening
Upon leaving the office, all of your equipment must be switched off at the main plug.
4. Opt for better office products
There may not be room in your budget to buy exclusively sustainable products, but you can focus on certain areas that have a huge overall impact, such as more efficient electronics.
5. Embrace renewable energy
Green power sources, including solar and wind energy, are more accessible than ever, with options including rooftop solar installations and large-scale wind farms.
6. Lay off the thermostat
Employees can inquire about increasing the set point, to both allow for a more comfortable workspace, and to reduce energy use.
7. Go paperless
Keep things digital whenever possible. It's as easy as keeping digital files on your computers and mobile devices, not file cabinets. Also, get in the habit of reviewing digital documents on-screen, rather than printing them out.
Other ways to go paperless include printing less in general, and asking vendors to offer e-statements and invoices instead of paper statements.
8. Bring a desk plant
If you're able, bring in a desk plan to improve indoor air quality and bring some nature into the office environment. Plants produce more oxygen, offsetting any chemicals released into the air by new office furniture and making a cleaner, happier space for your people to work in.
9. Maximize natural light
The World Green Building Council reports that employees working near sunlit windows have a 15% higher production rate. Natural light sets the body's circadian rhythms, which control awakening, falling asleep, synthesizing vitamin D and digestion.
Relying more on natural light when possible also saves energy. Also consider installing a smart power strip at every workstation, replacing all lighting fixtures with LEDs, as well as incorporating sensors and timers for office lighting.
10. Encourage green commuting
Companies can encourage employees to lower commuting emissions by walking, biking, carpooling, or taking public transit to the office, and offering incentives to do so.
Offering work-from-home policies can also reduce your company's carbon footprint.
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Source: Internet
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