Changing certain aspects of your office isn’t as extreme as it first appears. With a few simple changes in products and habits, you can completely change the office’s carbon footprint and create a much more eco-friendly environment.
One of the easiest changes is to reduce paper usage. Nowadays, technology is constantly advancing, giving countless options to convert. Whether you choose cloud storage instead of physically filing paperwork, or digitalising payslips instead of posting them each month, the amount of paper the office uses can be dramatically decreased.
Another incredibly simple yet effective way to make your office more environmentally friendly is to unplug electrical devices overnight. Leaving devices such as computers, printers, photocopiers etc. on standby still allows them to consume power, and can result in an unnecessary expense for the company. By unplugging these devices each night, you can save a surprising amount of power, not only lowering the electricity bill but making the office much more environmentally friendly. Installing motion-activated light switches is another great way to save electricity, taking out the need to remember to turn the electrics on and off. Another good idea is to research Texas electricity plans to find the ones that offer renewable energy, which is more affordable and eco-friendly.
Something that most offices don’t tend to realise will make a big difference is bulk buying. For example, most offices will have a tea and coffee station which tend to be filled with single-serving packs of milk, sugar, tea and coffee. These create an excessive amount of waste that is often not recycled properly, so buying in bulk reduces the amount of waste. It also tends to be a money saver, so a win-win!
In most offices, it seems that there’s a birthday every few weeks, and we know that with birthdays come cake! The usual result is slices handed out in napkins or on small plastic plates to reduce crumbs falling into the keyboard. What isn’t usually considered is how this single-use plastic affects the environment. A better option is compostable or recyclable plates that are easy to obtain and much more environmentally friendly.
By developing a green office policy, you want to take into account the three R’s; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. If you focus on reducing paper consumption, it can make a big difference very quickly. The best way to maximise office recycling, it’s recommended to integrate recycling into every department to make it the norm across the whole business. It’s also important to consider the connection between recycling and securing sensitive information. Fraud and sensitive data theft are becoming more common, and a surprising amount of time this data is accessed by documents left in bins, not correctly disposed of. Offices should consider looking into a company such as On Time Shred, to make sure that these documents are not only disposed of safely to reduce theft but also recycled properly to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
Some of the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. See what sort of difference your office can make today by implementing these suggestions.