17 Ways to Go Green at the Office
without rewriting the Corporate Manifesto

Many of us have taken steps to "Go Green" at home. Turning off lights, shutting of taps while washing dishes or brushing teeth, buying reusable grocery bags. All great ways to reduce the environmental impacts of our daily lives. But what about when we get to the office?

For most of us we forget some of the lessons we teach our kids at home and fall into the trap of "Business as Usual".

70% of the garbage and over 63% of energy consumption is produced by commercial users here in Toronto. (By the way - when I say commercial users, I mean us only disguised in our corporate colours).

Here are 17 simple ways to make a difference at the office.

1. Get it right before you print. Do a through proof reading and editing job before you print. Not only will it save needless paper usage but you'll probably produce better work.



2. Fill the space. Try printing on both sides of the paper for any non-presentation printing and use the blank sides and half printed sheets of paper for note taking and scrap paper.



3. Review documents online and distribute inner office memos via e-mail of file sharing. Instead of printing employee manuals and similar materials consider posting them online. They're easier to update that way too.



4. Recycle everything - The average office worker throws out about 150 pounds of paper per year. Almost all of the paper waste that crosses our desks is recycleable from envelops, catalogs, magazines to this year's corporate report.



5. Request office supplies such as paper products, notepads and pens be made from recycled materials



6. Can you use natural light in your office? Open up the window shades. Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings.



7. Ask for Compact Florescent light bulbs for your desk lamps.



8. Turn off the boardroom lights - nothing useful happens there anyways.



9. Set your office desktop to power saving modes or stand by options that will power down or go into sleep mode to conserve energy when not in use. This step can cut energy use by 70 percent. But remember, screen savers don't save energy.



10. If you use a laptop, set up a docking station so you don't need 2 computers to do the same job.



11. Buying new computers? Consider purchasing laptops only. They use a lot less energy and space and they are a great way to trick unsuspecting employees to work from home.



12. Have old equipment properly recycled. Look for a recycling company that doesn't export hazardous e-waste and to follows other safety guidelines. Old computers that still work, and are less than five years old, can possibly be donated to non-profit organizations that will refurbish them and find them new homes. (You may even get a tax deduction.)



13. Switch to an Internet Fax service



14. Bring your own mug and dishware for those meals you eat at the office.



15. Stay in or car pool with co-workers for lunch. Better yet, walk to your favorite lunch stop if possible.



16. Consider installing a water filter system for drinking water to reduce bottled-water waste.



17. Use all-natural or eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Many contract cleaning companies now offer eco-friendly services. It may cost a bit more, but in the long run employees will have less exposure to allergens and toxic chemicals which have been shown to cause headaches, fatigue and possibly cancer over long periods of exposure.




We all know it's not the easiest thing to change long standing habits within a company. But every step counts and we can all try to do our part.