Greening Your Office

As we all anxiously anticipate the day we’ll be back working together in offices, many of us are thinking about what new initiatives we want to roll-out upon our return. And for many, that’s meant looking at ways to scale green efforts we’re implanting in our home offices, to our corporate offices. Whether you’re looking to contribute to the planet’s sustainability, create a healthier work environment, save money, or build your brand, there are several benefits to making your office more eco-friendly. It’s undoubtably the right thing to do, and you can have serious impact with some rather straightforward or simple choices.

Here are some easy-to-implement environmentally-friendly efforts for your office when you return.

1. Get Green Office Supplies

There is a wide range of non-toxic green office supplies from which you can choose. There are eco-friendly, stapleless office staplers, which are an excellent alternative to the traditional type. Refillable bamboo pens are also a great pick.

Stock your break room with compostable cups for water and coffee. Get recycled paper products to use for your printing paper, paper towels, and sticky notes. You should also get recyclable binders, which don’t have plastic like others.

2. Watch Your Energy Use

If you can, go all out and change to renewable energy sources such as solar to meet your office’s power needs. In addition to switching to eco-friendly lighting options such as light emitting diode (LED) and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), you can also maximize natural light to conserve energy in your office. More natural light into your office means less need for artificial lighting, and less energy spent on heating and cooling your office space.

Ensure that you turn off your office equipment to reduce the electronic power this equipment when not turned off, also known as stand-by, or phantom power. Institute a strict off-when-not-in-use policy. A smart power strip will help to cut off energy vampires and avoid the energy drain these devices bring.

3. Make an Effort to Go Paperless

Go digital and embrace paperless file storage. With a cloud-based project management system, you can do away with the need for notepads for documenting and organizing your ideas. A cloud-based storage system will also allow you to go paperless, and retrieve whatever files you need when you need them.

Send memos and other communications by email. Share documents and files through the cloud. Create and maintain a virtual bulletin for any announcements. All this will do away with any unnecessary printing.

4. Make Your Washrooms More Green

The washroom presents just as many opportunities for going green as the working spaces. For starters, stick to eco-friendly washroom cleaning products. You can also opt for cloth towels instead of paper towels.

Reducing water wastage is good for the environment. Always turn off all taps, to ensure they are not left dripping. Get low-flush toilets and low-flow faucets which will use less water per flush and deliver a lower water flow from the taps respectively. Also ensure that you take care of any repairs that will avoid or reduce water wastage as soon as possible.

5. Get Plants

Floor plants and desk plants can help to create an oxygen-neutral environment, which translates to improved indoor air quality. You won’t need to power air pollution control equipment, which is good for the environment.

The more you can do, the better. Transform into a green office with these easy environmentally-friendly efforts.