How to be Eco-friendlier around the office?
Being environmentally friendly isn’t something that only has to be done in your personal time.
We spend an average of 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. No matter what type of job you have there is always an aspect of your daily routine you can change to make your work environment a little greener.
Here are a few tips that can be implemented around the office!
Reduce unnecessary electricity waste in the office.
Turn off electric appliances like computers, chargers and printers in the office that are not in use. Did you use the printer this morning but left it turned on in case you may use it again throughout the day? Don’t. Simple changes like this can significantly reduce the electricity used in the office daily. Invest in power saving light bulbs for the office, and switch the light off in rooms that are not being used.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Everything used in the office should fall under one of these headings. Reduce it, reuse it and always recycle it! Place a recycling bin in a prominent location in the office to entice people to use it.
Use eco-friendly office supplies
Opt for eco-friendly or recycled office products such as staple-less staplers and refillable ink carrtages, pens and markers. Cut down on products that are not environmentally friendly like rubber bands, paper clips and staples. Reduce what your office sends to the landfill.
Use non-toxic cleaning products around the office
We spend 7-8 hours a day in the office, that is 1/3 of our lives spent breathing in the office air. Unbeknownst to us the conventional toxic cleaning products used to clean the office can still be airborne 2 to 3 months after use .
When we remove the use of these toxins from the environment, by opting for eco-friendly cleaning products the air quality in the office will begin to improve, benefiting your overall health as well as the planet.
To understand more about how bad ventilation and air quality could be effecting your health please see our previous article here.
Add a plant or tree to the office
Not only does adding an office plant have benefits for the air around you. Studies have found that having a plant in an office helps lowered people’s heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory problems.
Eco-friendly lunch choices
Invest in tubberware and bring your lunch from home to reduce the single use plastic waste in the office. Also, skip the takeaway coffee in the morning (unless your using a reusable coffee cup). Wait till you get to the office to make your morning coffee in a mug that does not end up in a landfill.
Use the stairs instead of the elevator
Save the electricity used to power the elevator and take the stairs!
Invest in a white board for notes
Are you using sticky notes, paper copies or notepads to take down notes? Invest in a small or large white board for your office desk or wall to jot down notes and reminders and save unnecessary paper waste.
Reduce the water used to flush the toilet in the office bathroom
An old toilet can use up to 7 gallons per flush. If your office still has an old toilet put a brick, sand filled bag or the toilet tummy bag in the toilet tank. This will use less water to fill the tank and therefore conserve gallons of water per flush.
Change your commute to work
Walk, carpool or cycle to work. Switch it up and try to reduce your carbon footprint.
If you want more tips & advice on how to conserve water in the home or 7 essential tips for an Eco-friendlier at home please see all myecohub’s articles here.