7 Simple Things You Can Do To Make Your Office Greener

Last week I formed a Green Committee with colleagues where I work and we had our first meeting this week. At the end of an hour, we had an amazing list of simple things that not just our company but any company could do to foster environmentally friendly practices. Here’s the top 7 – according to me ;)

1. Make internal staff notepads: Rescue paper that has been printed on one side before it gets into the recycling bin (or worse: into the garbage) as well as old file folders. Using a paper cutter, cut sheets into 2 or 4 equal sized pieces. With a hole punch, make a hole (always) in the same corner. Do the same thing with the file folders as these will become front and back covers. You can purchase 1″ rings in bulk and use one to bind the notepad – You can find all these items at Staples. The creamer is having an embossing tool with the company logo (that’s what we are pushing for at work) so that you can brand the notepads. Once the pages are written on, only then should they make their way into the recycling bin. Keep a stack of refills that are already cut and punched in the same area and tell your colleagues where they could refill their notepad whenever they need to. I already created a prototype of this notepad that I use at home and I must say, I love it!
2. Rinse & Repeat: The first step is to get your company to invest in ceramic cups and glasses instead of disposable products. Once that is done, the next step is to train your colleagues to rinse and reuse instead of putting these in the dishwasher after only one use. Doing this saves a lot of water and energy.
3. Find green options for your office supplies and office cleaning products: I suggest starting with the easiest and most impactful. Paper. Domtar offers recycled papers that are also FSC certified (Forestry Stewardship Council). Look for this seal on the paper packages (Domtar papers or others). This means that the paper is sourced from pulp and paper mills that support and practice responsible forestry management.
4. Collective Library: To curb individual consumption, first encourage your colleagues to always read the news online and if you have corporate subscriptions to newspapers and magazines and other electronic subscriptions why not share them with the team? You could also form a Collective Company Library whereby all the employees who wish to take part in it, provides a list of books and DVDs that they own and that they wouldn’t mind lending. Each employee is responsible for tracking his or her own property but the Library inventory could be managed using an Excel file or even through your Wiki, if your company has one.
5. But if you really must print or copy for internal use: The least you could do is print 2 pages per sheet and if your printer or copier allows it, print front and back.
6. Bulk up: In the kitchen, replace sugar packets with a container. Get rid of the tiny plastic single servings of milk, cream and half & halfs with 1 liter cartons. For your guests, offer beverages in glass containers instead of plastic (recycle easier)
7. Lastly, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say something about giving back: Most companies have a bunch of obsolete computers and peripherals lying around. Do a Google search to find a non-profit organization in your city that collects, cleans up and gives them to people or schools in need. Your boss will be happy to know, that most organizations give out receipts for tax purposes too.

Of course beyond the above seven tips, there are so many other things that could be done to affect some change at the office but I wanted to share tips that are a little different than what I have seen in other blogs. Hope these help. I will no doubt post other ones in later posts.