Behaving in an environmentally-friendly way is becoming a necessity in this day and age. More and more people are starting to realize the importance of leading a green life, and are finding ways to incorporate their knowledge into all areas of their lives, their homes, their diets, and even their workplaces. Although creating an environmentally-friendly office might appear like a challenge, there are still ways to accomplish this. There are numerous ways to be mindful of our planet, and here’s how to start.
Stop unnecessary printing
In an office that’s digital, printing might not always be that necessary for some documents. In cases where printing could be avoided, employees should be encouraged to do so.
What could serve as a good replacement for paper is an online bulletin board. Here you can write your announcements, leave messages, and use the cloud for sharing your documents.
Switch to eco-friendly office supplies
Instead of filling your supply closet with cheap and ordinary staples, memos and pencils, turn to their “green” replacements. You can use compostable cups for refreshments, fully recyclable binders that don’t consist of plastic, which is harmful to our planet. What you may also consider is simply reusing the supplies you already do have.
If the backside of a paper can be used for taking notes, use it. Use every page of a note pad, don’t throw away old pencils, but rather make use of every one of them. This way you will not have to replenish your office supplies as often, and you are acting responsibly towards nature.
Mind your energy waste
If you pay close attention, you will notice that there are devices in your office that are always turned on, even when there’s nobody’s using them. What these gadgets do is simply waste away precious energy. Even when they are not in use, computers, printers and all sorts of appliances pull energy. Having said this, getting a power strip could be a wise solution to this problem.
A power strip is a small device that has a programmable timer. What the timer does is send a signal to the strip so that it turns itself off whenever the office is closing. There are also strip that have sensors which detect when people in the room and they turn themselves off when the office is vacant. Maybe the best trait of power strips is that they lower down your utility bills, and more importantly, make your office eco-friendly.
Introduce plants to your office
Having plants in your office can be so beneficial both for you and your work environment. Not only do they bring nature closer to us and serve as a daily reminder to always be mindful about it, but they also freshen up the air and look good to the eye. There are also ways to make your office look more modern and even minimalistic by using plants.
You may get yourself some trendy pot plant stands that match the style of your office so perfectly well that you’ll soon be having them in every corner and desk in the room. Having plants in rooms where we spend most of our time has been proven to increase creativity, but also raise awareness about ways to be more environmentally responsible.
Motivate your employees
Nobody likes an employer that forces their employees to make changes they aren’t willing to make or the changes they don’t find interesting. Rather than being just a regular boss, motivate your work team and educate them on preserving the planet in new and exciting ways. You can create fun challenges and give prizes to individual employees or teams.
The challenges may vary from who can recycle more in a month to who can find more ways to make the office more environmentally friendly. Whoever wins may take home a plant, have a free meal at a restaurant, get a raise or a day off. This will positively affect our planet, and your employees will learn more and have the motivation to keep up the good work.
Encourage green commuting
Many employers don’t give much thought to how their employees commute to work. But if we take into consideration that most people arrive to work by car, and by that, individually, we should conclude that this may not be the greenest solution to the problem. What you can do in this situation is to encourage your staff to try carpooling, for instance.
You may also consider teaching by example, and commute to work by bike. This will show your staff how aware you are of each individual’s importance in saving our planet. If this doesn’t do, you may offer your employees to work from home (telecommuting), which will also do miracles in going green.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are numerous ways to make your office environmentally friendly. Little by little, your office will turn into a green haven, and this will largely impact your life altogether. Going green can do wonders because when we give to nature, it will give back to us in more ways than one.
