10 ways to become greener in the workplace
- Go paperless
Transition all company mailing, resources and notices to digital versions where possible. This not only cuts expenses but drastically reduces your carbon footprint.
- Maximise natural lighting
Proven to boost mood and productivity, maximising an office’s natural light instead of electrical lighting is an effective way to offset energy usage.
- SwitchOff
Create an office culture of switching all appliances off at the wall at End of Business to reduce power usage overnight.
- How you get to work matters
Encourage or incentivise your employees to take advantage of ‘greener’ travel alternatives such as car-pooling, cycling, walking and public transport.
- All systems update
Do an office energy audit – are there any leaks? Is the aircon always too cold? If possible, update old appliances to their more energy-efficient counterpart. For example, make the shift to compact-fluorescent or LED lights. While these processes may seem more expensive than replacing an average lightbulb, they reduce costs in the long term because they are long-lasting and low energy consumers.
- Take recycling one step further
First, make sure your office is implementing a strict recycling policy. Have clearly labelled bins for paper, plastics, general waste and other recyclables. Now, the impact lies in breaking the cycle of consumables by not repurchasing office materials with a short life span. Invest in high quality pens, a whiteboard rather than sticky notes and reusable water bottles.
- Embrace telecommuting
If you have an employee that needs to drive an hour to work, offer a work-at-home option to save two hours of fuel. Modern technology enables this option with little to no hindrance in productivity.
- Get planting
Your next team-building exercise or office party incorporate green initiatives. Whether that is replanting trees or building an office nursey. Leisurely encourage a green mindset while having a few drinks.
- Co-working spaces
If you are looking to upgrade, downsize or relocate, investigate co-working office spaces. Many of these serviced offices will have integrated green initiatives or carbon neutrality policies.
- Invest in a cultural overhaul
Humans are social creatures, so the more people that practice green office behaviours, the more likely others are to also participate. Make keep-cups and reusable water bottles a common practice and encourage proper recycling to become second nature. To help solidify this shift, create a sustainability initiative or taskforce and put measurable objectives in place.
