Many people have realized the importance of understanding how to reduce our carbon footprints as much as we can. While this responsibility is mandatory for each and every one of us, as individuals, our impact will never be compared to that of offices and big corporations. Fortunately, numerous companies have been paying attention to becoming more carbon neutral. At the end of the day, money talks; going green and making changes around your office shouldn’t be difficult or even that expensive. On the contrary, making your office more sustainable—from saving energy to reusing supplies—is more likely to save you a lot of money. But what are the changes that you could implement in your office today?
Here are some important tips for an eco-friendly office.
Turn Off the Lights
Offices can immediately limit their greenhouse emissions by something as simple as switching everything off at night. This goes for the heating system, lights, and all electronic devices. It’s not enough to power down your equipment, as power will still be consumed if the plugs are in. This is why it’s better and more practical to switch off all your equipment from the main plug every night. This simple step will save a considerable amount of energy which consequently will save you money.
Opt for Renewable Energy Sources Instead
Luckily, green power sources are now more accessible than ever, even for small offices and homeowners. Instead of overwhelming yourself with wind farms or installing solar panels all over your rooftop, you can start with simpler steps and slowly work your way up. If your office has a garden, you won’t always be able to switch these lights off. Instead, you can install garden lights that use a renewable source of energy instead of fossil fuels. Environmental advocates at TheSolarAdvantage.net clarify that there are many advantages to using solar spotlights for your outdoor space, whether it’s in your office or house. This step won’t only make your home or office ‘greener”, but it will also save you money and add an aesthetic appeal to your garden.
Reuse and Reduce Your Paper Waste
We all know that reducing is always better than reusing when it comes to saving-energy strategies. However, there isn’t a rule that stops you from using a combination of both techniques until you can get the hang of being green. Going completely paperless is now easier than ever in our digital world; from cloud storage services, online communication platforms, and even down to online accounting software programs. However, some companies still can’t take this leap. Even though the greenest paper option is no paper at all, you can still minimize your paper waste by buying recycled paper and printing on both sides of a sheet whenever possible.
Green Commuting
Offices who take responsibility for employees’ rides to work and back home can easily implement greener commuting by reducing the number of their vehicles and encouraging employees to carpool together. However, other offices that aren’t responsible, can still encourage their employees to lower their commuting emissions by offering incentives. Instead of driving, motivate your employees to consider walking or biking to work. This will not only help in reducing your office’s contribution to the greenhouse effect, but it will also be beneficial for the mental and physical well being of your employees. Make sure to also reduce employee travel by using online conference tools as much as possible. You can take an extra step by offering work-from-home policies to those who can.
Recycle Everything
Reducing waste is always better than recycling, from using fewer materials to saving supplies. Still, starting a recycling center in your office pays off more than most people think. This will not only make your office greener and save you money, but this also makes for the perfect team-building games. Choose some employees who are interested in the climate change issue and reducing their carbon footprint to start educating other employees why recycling is a beneficial project for the entire workforce. Instead of enforcing these green policies, you can make a game out of it by keeping score and choosing a winner every month.
The positive impact of going green, whether it’s in your office or house, might not show immediately on our planet. However, the short-term results are still as rewarding. Besides saving money, implementing green policies around your office will change the mindset of those who are working with you and might encourage them to start trying out these environmentally-friendly techniques themselves in their homes.
