Going Green in the Workplace

Many people are “going green” in the home to observe an environmentally friendly lifestyle and do their part to help keep the earth clean.  Some people recycle and others plant gardens, buy organic foods and only use all natural cleaning products, while some individuals use environmentally friendly practices when building their home.  However, did you know there is a growing trend emerging and that is “going green,” in the workplace.

There are many advantages to “going green” in the work environment

and it can be done by incorporating certain practices and making a few changes, but it all makes a real difference.  You might be the first one adopting this attitude on the job, but soon the efforts will begin to be noticed by co-workers and before you know it, the entire office might jump on board with you too.  Going green is as much of a choice as it is a lifestyle and when you are serious, even the smallest efforts will translate to mean big changes with time.

Paper is one of the most common office materials which people seem to take for granted,

but did you know how many trees are cut down to make paper?  If you think about it, how many times a day do you reach for a piece of paper to write down something to remember or perhaps a telephone number or message?  The amount of paper you use is staggering, so it might be an idea to check into the paper your company uses for its supplier.  Is your office paper made of recycled materials?  If not, talk to your employer about making the change and do your part to save trees, one of the earth’s most precious commodities.

If you work for a company that sends out a lot of flyers and printed materials, do you know what kind of ink your company uses?  Is it vegetable-based ink?  Many people are surprised to find out about this new trend which is becoming more well-known.  Ink is currently being manufactured from soybeans so it does not release harmful greenhouse gases.  Not only is vegetable based ink better for the environment, but makes it much easier to recycle the paper used as well.

Another good way of going green in the office is to shut down and unplug any unused electronic products when not in use.

If you are not going to be using your office computer, why not reach under your desk and unplug it at the end of the day to save energy.  A good way to turn off many different electronics at once is to use a surge protector or power strip, this way with the flip of one switch everything can be easily turned off until the next time you need to use them.

Going green in the workplace is not as difficult as people might have originally thought.  With a few simple changes like we mentioned or even working from home, you can make a genuine dent in energy use, save your company money and hopefully inspire your co-workers to do their part as well.  If everyone were to make just a couple of small changes here and there in the workplace, it would generate to mean a cleaner, healthier environment and reduce the company’s carbon footprint.