Every little change you make in your daily routine can have a positive effect on the environment around you. Choosing to make greener choices and adopt some greener habits will really make a difference. Most people spend more of their time in the office as working amounts to a huge proportion of your day.
Whether it is you that owns a company, or you are just passionate about creating an eco-friendlier office environment for yourself and colleagues, follow these top tips to reduce your negative impact on the environment and earn yourself serious eco-friendly bragging rights, not to mention the money you can save in the long run.
- Going Paperless
Given the innovative digital age we live in, the need for paper and printers in the office has dramatically decreased over the past ten or so years. This seems to be moving in the right direction as office space has begun to make more of a conscious effort to become more environmentally friendly. Property company RW Invest have opted for a nearly paperless office. Sending electronic payments, giving clients paperless contracts online and signing signatures electronically are some of the ways that help the office environment becoming eco-friendlier.
- Reusable Products
Does everyone in the office bring in their own mug and cutlery? Cutting out plastic, paper and polystyrene cups can make a huge difference to the amount of waste going into the environment, while still being relatively inexpensive. Disposable cutlery can build up over time, creating a detrimental impact on the environment. Bringing in your own cutlery is the perfect way to cut down on the amount of plastic that is wasted.
Furthermore, with the way all areas of tech are progressing, some businesses are finding that there is more of a need to replace equipment more often. Instead of throwing away old computers, toasters or microwaves, why not recycle them as sometimes they have smaller parts which can be beneficial in other ways.
- Energy efficient products
There are so many ways in which you can improve the energy efficiency of your office. Installing motion activated light switches are one of the easiest changes to make. By swapping your existing lights with this new solution, you don't need to rely on employees to switch off the lights as they leave, motion activated lights save energy automatically.
Most devices around the office have a power saving mode which can help preserve battery life and reduce power consumption. When choosing new electrics, these products don't only cut down on energy waste, but they will reduce bills too.
- Encourage an eco-friendly commute
The way we travel affects our health and the environment. Transportation has an immense impact on our carbon footprint, therefore opting to make your commute a little greener is one of the best ways to make a change. Considering walking or cycling to work has fewer consequences on the planet, so this about making your commute smarter and greener. Offering staff an incentive to make a conscious effort to be eco-friendlier may leave people feeling more inclined to make greener choices.