Being green is an excellent way to help the environment as well as save some money. Fortunately, turning your office into a green one is not very difficult to do. Here are some simple tips for making your office greener.
1. Use double-sided printing whenever possible
Set your printer or copier’s default setting to double-sided printing to automatically cut down on paper use. This is a simple step and if anyone needs single-sided printing they can easily change the settings.
2. Use a water delivery service
Eliminating bottled water in your office can have an enormous impact. Drinking bottled water is not only wasteful it can also be unhealthy. Plastic is made using Bisphenol A (BPA) which contains harmful levels of estrogen and has been declared a toxic substance by some countries. Cutting back on that habit eliminates both waste and possible health risks.
3. Turn lights and machines off when they’re not being used
This is an obvious tip, but plenty of people fail to adhere to it. Turning off lights, computers and printers will save a significant amount of energy and, in turn, save your company money. If you can afford to install motion sensors, they are a great way to save money and energy.
4. Use recycled and recyclable products when you can
Virtually any paper product can be found in recycled versions at major office supply retailers. While they’re much better for the environment, they are generally comparable in price to non-recycled versions.
Using recyclable and compostable products is also critical. These items are generally easy to find and can make a huge impact if they’re actually recycled after use. If you don’t implement an easy-to-follow recycling plan, you may find that employees aren’t actually recycling anything.
5. Cut down on commuting
Organizing carpools is pretty easy to do. Simply match people up based on where they live. If you can, offer parking incentives to those who carpool. If your town has public transportation systems, try offering a bus or train pass to employees who can use those systems.
These are all simple and inexpensive ways to make your office greener and to ensure that your business has less of an impact on the environment. If you’re interested in finding more ways to green your business, take a look at this article.
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