Eco-friendly behaviour has long become a necessity not only in our homes but also workplaces. To reduce, recycle and reuse are the pillars of every attempt to preserve the environment, and now two more can be added: rethink and repair. Thus, with these 5 Rs in mind, you can easily implement some excellent tips for your office to make it a more eco-friendly work environment.
- Replace disposable pens – millions of disposable pens are thrown around the world on a daily base. What is the difference between disposable and reusable pens? Disposable pens are cheaper and thus of lower quality, in addition to the fact that you toss them in the trash once they run out of ink. You can spare the environment this extra burden by stocking on reusable pens and refills for them.
- Limit the access to the supply cabinet – research shows that the more people have access to the supply cabinet, the more they waste the supplies. If that place is under the strict supervision of one person, usually the office manager, supplies will be used more consciously. This also leads to less clutter and less trouble with commercial cleaning.
- Implement incentives to save – if office staff are given the motivation to go green and use fewer supplies, they will undoubtedly contribute. Why not take it one step further in setting up a program to use the saved money for a free lunch now and then?
- Be print-cautious – often printed documents come with an entire page consisting of only one web address. You can cut the print waste by using software programs specially designed to identify and reduce waste printing space. Implementing software like this you can save up to 20% on printing materials.
- Use digital space – do you need every email, spreadsheet and conversation printed out? We live in the 21st century, and yet a lot of people use paper copies to store information. That is ironic, considering the digital possibilities that are always improving.
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Photo credit: mariart.com Purchase eco-friendly paper – regardless of how much you try, you cannot cut paper usage to 0. What you can do, however, is buy a chlorine-free recycled paper. Furthermore, you can insist on paper made from sustainable materials like organic cotton, bamboo and hemp.
- Reduce the font – this one is very simple: try to reduce the font for documents that you need to print. Try not to challenge the sight of your employees, but do consider smaller font size.
- Cut on dry cleaning costs – if the place you work in allows this, try to go with casual clothes to work. A business with informal policy can save its employees a lot of money on buying and maintaining a suit. Besides, a lot of people just feel more comfortable in casual clothes at work.
- Work from home – this one is a bit tricky, but in many firms, there are certain job positions that can be done from home. A lot of people are in fact much more productive when working from home, so this is something that can be implemented. That way they don’t have to waste time and money on travel, all the while reducing the negative impact on the environment. Even if it is only a few days every month, it can make a difference.
Stay tuned for part 2 of the article with more wonderful tips on how to make your office a greener place for a better tomorrow.
