Creating an environmental office doesn’t have to be difficult. With our easy to follow guide, you can turn your office into an environmentally friendly and sustainable workplace in no time. An environmental office will not only make you and your employees feel good about helping out the planet, but it can also save your business money in the long run. All it takes is a little awareness, practice, and dedication to create a truly environmentally friendly workspace.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
You’ve heard this time and time again, but it really is the best advice when it comes to creating an easy environmental office. Check out easy ways you can reduce, reuse, and recycle around the office.
Reduce: Oftentimes printing can be inevitable when you work in an office. Try reducing your paper waste by printing double sided. You can also reduce your paper waste by going digital. Start an effort to digitize your files by scanning them into a secure computer folder. Not only will this significantly reduce the amount of paper you use, but is a more efficient way to get organized.
Reuse: It’s a good idea to create notepads, memos, and other stationary out of the blank sides of old reports and printed files. You can take on this task yourself as an office-wide DIY project, or send them off to a company who can do it for you. Also, make sure you’re reusing office supplies like paper rings, and pens that you can refill with ink.
Recycle: If you don’t already have labeled recycling bins in multiples places in your office, get some! Put them in places where your employees can easily see and use them—the kitchen, the hallway, conference rooms, by the printer, and in different spots around the workspace.
Turn Off the Lights
Conserving energy in your workplace is a great way to create an environmental office. All it takes it a few notes taped to light switches and doors that remind your employees to turn off the lights when they leave. You can also lower the brightness on your monitors and set your computers to sleep when they’re inactive. Also, make sure to shut everything down at the end of the day so you’re not wasting any energy when the office is empty!
Consider Your Commute
Something that people often don’t think about when it comes to creating an environmental office is the ways they get to and from their office. If you’re taking your car when you don’t need too, you could be contributing to a larger carbon footprint and unnecessary emissions of greenhouse gasses. If you live close enough, try taking a bike or walking to work. This can provide great exercise while staying green. Public transportation is also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and avoid rush hour traffic.
Use Environmental Office Suppliers
One of the most environmentally unfriendly things that offices do is buying environmentally products from unconscious suppliers. Things to consider when creating an easy environmental office is choosing green suppliers that are as committed to protecting the planet as you. Make sure you check all the way down the supply chain to ensure that every step is green. You can call around and ask suppliers about their environmental policies to decide which ones are best for you.
For more tips on how to improve your workplace, check out our blog “How to Easily Achieve a Great Work Life Balance.”