It’s more important now than ever to begin taking eco-friendly steps towards a greener tomorrow. Here are 5 easy and failproof ways to make your workspace more sustainable.
Five ways to make your office more eco-friendly
1: Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
Reduce, reuse & recycle: three words that have become a modern mantra. In an office setting, reduce and reuse can be as simple as supplying the kitchen with reusable cups, mugs, plates, and silverware while also encouraging employees to bring in their lunches in reusable containers. Plus, most coffee shops give you a discount if you bring in your own mug!
Another easy way to reduce is by printing double sided paper, using left over notebook pages, and simply not printing when you don’t have to. And of course, when you do print, be sure to use recycled paper and then repeat the cycle by recycling that!
Recycling isn’t just throwing everything in the blue bin instead of the brown bin, but rather it means separating plastics, papers, glass and cardboard into the appropriate slots. Here at E2E we even have a bin designed specifically for coffee cups. It has a slot for lids, cups, and left-over liquids. It can be easy not to check where you’re disposing your rubbish, but taking an extra two seconds to check can make a difference over time.
2: Plant Kindness
How can you say no to helping the environment while also adding a touch of beauty to your office? You really can’t, so try adding some plants to your office space. Evidence has shown that by adding plants to your office you’ll be able to circulate fresh air throughout the rooms, boost the moral and enhance the mood of your employees, and increase productivity. From hanging plants to tall corner plants, to small potted plants on a desk, the choices are unlimited when it comes to adding a touch of greenery to your office.
3: Unplug
The trend nowadays is to unplug from social media from time to time, but we must also remember to unplug the physical electronics too. At the end of the work day take two extra minutes to check that the computers, printers, fax machines, lights etc, are turned off before leaving the office. If your office has lots of windows, you can also try turning off the glaring overhead lights during the day and letting the sunlight brighten up the room.
4: Upgrade
If you have the funds, think about upgrading your office equipment to become more eco-friendly. This could mean buying recycled paper, pens, and pencils, or you could go bigger and upgrade the computers, lights, and furniture to sustainable options.
5: Commuting
Encourage your office to reduce their carbon foot print by picking an eco-friendly commute to work. Depending upon the city you work in, this could mean a variety of things. You could walk or ride your bike on days with nice weather if you live nearby, or if you live in a big city, you most likely have public transportation. If neither of these options seem plausible, consider carpooling with 2-4 people from the office.
Bonus: Eco-Friendly Gifts
Consider giving out a fun gift to your employees to encourage being eco-friendly! This could be a coffee mug, bamboo straws, or something fun like scented recycled pencils. You could also make a holiday gift exchange into an eco-gift exchange where everyone is required to bring in something eco-friendly as a gift!
It is essential that the world begins to correct our carbon footprint, and implementing these small things in the office can make a big difference over time. What eco-friendly things is your office doing to help green the economy?
