Most of us can come up with interesting ways to reduce the environmental impact of our lives at home. There are quite a few methods that people already know about – while we will talk about a couple new ones. But it is at the office where most people are stumped. How do you continue remaining productive while ensuring that you are not unnecessarily harming the environment?
- Assess Water Usage
Installing a water meter at the office is a good way to get a reading of how much water is being used by the entire floor. Automatic taps that shut off after a set number of seconds can help a lot. Using water-saver shower heads, energy-efficient toilets and new plumbing can also help a lot. While your employees are not going to use the toilet fewer times, the amount of water that is used during each visit to the bathroom is drastically reduced with these measures.
- Custom Shopping Bags
It is incredible how many plastic bags we can accumulate from a single shopping trip. Whether it is for groceries at home or office supplies, it only takes a few trips to get a massive collection of plastic bags. Avoid plastic waste by purchasing quality custom shopping bags through a site like Custom Earth Promos. These bags are made with “green” materials and are reusable.
Not only are the bags great for the environment, but they are also a lot of fun to use! They look fun, classy and you will surely get asked about them when you are next at the office supply store or a grocery store.
- Paperless Office
Going paperless is an incredible way to reduce waste in an office environment. Think about how many papers are just lying around in cabinets, unused. Now think about the papers that are thrown out or shredded each day. Most companies run on the internet these days. Going paperless with invoices and important documents will help the planet in a big way.
- Recycle
Recycling is something that you can do at home and at the office. It is all about being aware about the products that you can recycle. Bottles, cans, paper and other items are all recyclable. Have separate containers in the office where employees can easily distinguish between regular trash and recycling. Remind them about recycling periodically so they develop this great habit.
- Energy Efficient Fixtures
Light bulbs, LED monitors and other appliances can provide energy savings even with regular use. Motion-sensor activated lights are another option. If no one is in the room, they will immediately turn off. It does not even need to take someone in the office remembering to shut them off before they head out.
Making changes to the way we behave in the office is not easy. But a few adjustments can ensure your business runs as it is now – while using less resources! It is a great feeling when you know that you are reducing your environmental impact at home and work.