Top 10 green office tips

Providing an environmentally friendly work environment will achieve significant costs savings and help build a strong team spirit within your organisation. Becoming environmentally accountable will also reflect well to your brand image which could boost sales and profitability. Here are some tips to help businesses improve their environmental performance:

1. Buy greener products. There is a wide range of products that are cost effective and result in lower waste, lower energy use, fewer waste, and less materials. Greener options extend much further that recycled paper these days! Products like corn based biodegradable packing peanuts, non-toxic dry-erase markers, recycled plastic products, and more

2. Offset your energy with carbon credits. By purchasing Carbon Credits businesses can offset all of the carbon dioxide their company emits. After reducing your energy consumption as much has possible, offset the rest. Your customers will be glad to know you care about the environment and are doing your part. It will give them an other incentive to buy from you.

3. Reuse re-manufactured ink and toner cartridges. Reused cartridges cost an average of 15% less than new ones and come with a 100% guarantee. Each re-manufactured cartridge keeps approximately 2.5lbs of plastic and metal out of landfills and saves about a half gallon of oil.

4. Recycle ink and toner cartridges. In the UK alone it is estimated that more than 30 million empty ink jet cartridges are thrown into landfill sites every year. Worldwide this figure increases to over 375 million. Recycling ink jet cartridges decreases the amount of waste and toxins that is put into our landfills. Many companies even buy empty cartridges and even pay for picking them up.

5. Recycle. When you absolutely need to print on paper, print on both sides of the sheet, use it as scrap note paper, and then finally recycle the paper when you are finished. Recycling one ton of paper save 17 trees, almost 7,000 gallons of water, and more than 3 cubic yards of landfill space. Consider paper a precious and then be frugal with it.

6. Use digital storage and avoid printing on paper. The computer age is allowing businesses to store information digitally, with need to print documents on paper. Data storage devices such as CDs, and zip drives are great alternatives to paper. Emailing has greatly minimized the need for faxing and post.

6. Buy Energy Star qualified products. Energy Star printers, computers, fax machines, monitors and other office machines can conserve up to 75% of your energy compared to standard machines. Energy Star products switching to “sleep mode” while not in use and save both money and energy!

7. Unplug machines that are not in use. Machines consume electricity even if they are turned off but still plugged in. Up to 75% of energy used by machines in offices are turned off. Avoid wasting energy and money by using power strips and switched off at the end of the day.

8. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Ccompact florescence light bulbs can save up to 75% more electricity than incandescent light bulbs. Florescent bulbs last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs and they fit standard fixtures and deliver natural light.

9. Give out free reusable mugs to staff and customers. Give reusable promotional material that encourages green behavior. If one customer buys one cups of coffee a day, five days a week, for one year, that’s equal to over 200 coffee cups that end up in the landfills. Market your new green agenda and help your customers to make a difference.

10. Transport. Organise a carpool system and promote cycling or taking public transport to work. Use teleconferencing or videoconferencing for meetings rather than air travel.

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