Reduce Consumption and Increase Production: Tips for a Sustainable Office

Many individuals think long and hard about having an eco-friendly home but do little to change the environmental impact in their offices or place of business.

Many offices are known for being a waste of resources from food to paper and even energy in the form of excess lights or very cold air conditioning.

There are countless ways that an office can reduce their levels of consumption, help the environment and save money in the process. Here are some great tips for creating a sustainable and green office:

Eliminate Disposable Kitchen Items

Most office cafeterias and break rooms are full of paper plates, Styrofoam cups and plastic utensils. While this might be convenient it also creates a large amount of waste and can cost the company thousands of dollars a year. Create space for employees to bring in their own plate, mug and even a set of utensils to store in a private place and use whenever necessary. Not only will this save your business money but it will have a significant positive impact on the environment as well.

Encourage Working from Home

More and more companies are cutting costs by allowing employees to telecommute each day.

Not only will those working from home reduce overhead in the office but it has been proven that many employees are actually more productive overall when working from home.

From an environmental standpoint employees will also reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating their need to commute daily to and from the office.

Adjust the Temperature

Many offices keep the temperature at the exact same degree for the entire year.

Rather than wasting money by doing this, consider lowering the thermostat slightly in the winter and increasing it slightly in the summer.

Even a degree or two in either direction can save as much as ten percent on overall heating bills. Using less energy will also be far better for the environment.

Reduce Paper Use

Offices have a tendency to waste a lot of paper by printing out items unnecessarily or faxing things which could easily be emailed.

Make sure each employee understands how to create an attachment for an email with a clear image.

Encourage this as a way to send documents rather than by fax to save a large amount of paper each year.

It is also a good idea to print documents out on both sides of the paper in order to half the usage instantly.

Turn off Lights at Night

If your office regularly keeps lights, air conditioning or electronic items on at night it is certainly worthwhile to end that practice.

Set timers on the lights and heating so that it turns off at seven each night and turns on at seven in the morning. Allow for manual override in cases a number of employees need to stay later or come in early.

These are just a few of the many ways that Eco-friendly practices in an office setting can increase production, save money for businesses and reduce overall consumption. If you follow these tips your office can soon be among other sustainable businesses.