Things You Can Do In Your Office

Print

Of the 24 hours in our days, Americans spend, on average, 8 hours of that at work (if not more).  That’s 1/3 of our day and if you consider that another 1/3 is usually spent sleeping, that’s a lot!  Many people take great care to help make their home life environmentally friendly, but it makes sense, given all the dang time we spend at work, to take the same care we apply at home and apply it to work.  39 % of Chicago’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions come from commercial buildings and a greener workplace means smaller carbon footprint and a healthier space to work in.

Here are just a few ways to take your green practices from home to the office:

  • Consider soy-based ink:  Lower levels of volatile organic compounds than ink made from petroleum meaning less harmful toxins emitted
    • Soybeans only use about 0.5 percent of the total energy that is needed to create the ink
    • When soy ink reaches its full potential, it will consume 457 million pounds of soybean oil a year
  • Bring your own travel coffee cup to your favorite coffee shop, instead of using their disposable ones
  • Turn off your computer before you leave for the night and put your printers on sleep mode
    • A Lawrence Berkeley Lab study from 1999 estimated that one workstation (computer and monitor) left on after business hours is responsible for power plants emitting nearly one ton of CO2 per year
    • If every U.S. computer and monitor were turned off at night, the nation could shut down eight large power stations and avoid emitting 7 million tons of CO2 every year
  • Turn off your printers or put them on sleep mode
  • Get your office address off of junk mailing lists by taking your company name off of direct marketing lists and call the number listed on any piece of mail you do not wish to receive more of – visit Eco-Cycle for more information
  • Print only what you have to
    • According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each employee in a typical business office generates 1.5 pounds of waste paper per day
  • Recycle:  Take part in your office’s recycling program and if they don’t recycle, talk to your manager or work out a schedule with your co-workers to take the recycling to your nearest center
  • If possible, use a laptop instead of a desktop:  Energy Star models use up to 90% less energy
  • Stop using bottled water
    • Americans throw away about 35 BILLION water bottles a year and offices are a big contributor; opt for water delivery service
  • Push for the purchase of recycled paper for your printers and faxes
  • Revamp your break room by stopping the use of plastic utensils and disposable coffee cups and opt for reusable mugs and real silverware
  • Appoint a sustainability captain, someone the office trusts and respects and someone who will look for opportunities to save energy
  • When a light bulb burns out, replace it with a compact fluorescent bulb
    • Compact fluorescent bulbs use 1/4 of the energy and can last 10 x longer

Travel

Consider your office travel and determine whether or not you travel is necessary to accomplish the business goal.  If not, try a conference call or video chat conference.  With solutions like Skype, you may realize that reducing business travel might be easier than you thought.  If the travel is necessary (and believe me, we know that sometimes it is!), consider doing office offsets and look for environmentally friendly hotels.

Catering

Catering is a huge part of some companies day.  Whether you’re catering for a big meeting, little meeting or for employees, look into catering companies that will produce green meals.  Also, skip the disposable utensils, plates and cups and ask your manager to invest in reusable dishes.  If your company provides snacks for the office, ask for items to be bought in bulk, instead of individually wrapped.  This solution not only cuts down on waste, but can also be a penny saver!  Looking for a sustainable catering company?  Check these out:

Chicago Green Office Challenge

Mayor Richard M. Daley and the City of Chicago Department of Environment are challenging commercial property owners and office tenants to participate in a friendly competition to improve the environmental performance of their business operations.

A strategy of the Chicago Climate Action Plan, the Green Office Challenge helps participants achieve strategies that reduce energy use, waste, and water use, and provides an exciting way for businesses to make Chicago a greener place to live and work.  It’s a friendly competition for property managers and office tenants with 41 participating property managers and 151 companies.

We know we’ve barely scratched the surface!  Tell us about what you around the office by sharing in the forum or by contacting us!

Panorama Theme by Themocracy