Saturday, October 22, 2011

Easy Steps to an Eco-Friendly Office

By Stephen Mann


No matter what the size of a business, from small "mom and pop" operations to big corporations, the management of those companies has the obligation to run that business in an eco-friendly manner. There are many ways to go green, save money, and leave a smaller "carbon footprint". Most things that can be done to create a green office fall under two categories: saving electricity and making less waste. Here are just a few things that your business can do to create a green office.

Use Computers and Auxiliary Advices Efficiently: There is a pretty good chance that employees of most businesses spend a lot of time on a computer. Using that computer as efficiently as possible can go a long way to saving energy. During down-time when the computers aren't in use, they should be put into Standby Mode and should be shut down completely at the end of the day. Powering a computer up does not use as much energy as was once believed.

The same is true for other electronic equipment used in the office like printers, fax machines, and copy machines. Make sure they are turned off or in stand-by when not in use during the day and turn them all off at the close of business.

Start an Office Recycling Program: There is no reason for businesses not to institute recycling programs of some type. For a small business, this could be as easy to implement as having a bin for printer and copier or paper and a bin for soda cans and water bottles. Larger companies are putting full-scale single-stream recycling into place by providing employees with a receptacle for all recyclable paper products, cans, and bottles and one for actual trash. In some cases a small container for each is being provided for each office or cubicle.

Don't Use As Much Paper: So much of the paper we throw away at a big office can be reused. Not only is reusing paper part of a green office, it can also save a lot of money. Used paper can be collected in a special bin. Paper from this bin can be used to either print on the unused side or cut up and made into note pads. For inter-office communication, use email or at least bulletin boards rather than passing a memo out to everyone in the office.

Use Green Cleaning Supplies: Many standard cleaning supplies contain ingredients that can be hazardous for the environment. There are a number of green cleaning products available that can clean effectively without the use of toxic chemicals.

Use Recycled Office Supplies and Furniture: Many eco-friendly office supplies can be found such as recycled paper for printers and copy machines. There are even printers made from recycled plastic. Eco-friendly office furniture is available that is made from recycled products and/or sustainable materials that have the smallest negative impact on the environment. Used office furniture can be considered 100% recycled and can be an attractive and economic solution.

Opportunities for being green at home range from solar lights to BPA free bottles. The office also presents many opportunities. Every time you make one of these changes to how you run your office, you are a little closer to your office being "green".




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