10 Ways to Go Green at Work

NEW: Download these tips in pdf format.

Greener homes are in the spotlight these days, but what about the other places where many of us spend huge chunks of our time--our offices? Some simple changes of habit can save energy and resources at work, and these small steps can be multiplied by persuading the powers-that-be at your workplace to adopt environmentally friendly (and often cost-effective) policies.

1. Be bright about light
Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings.

> Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can.

> Make it a policy to buy Energy Star-rated lightbulbs and fixtures, which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting, and install timers or motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when they're not needed.

2. Maximize computer efficiency
Computers in the business sector unnecessarily waste $1 billion worth of electricity a year.

> Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil. (Check with your IT department to make sure the computer doesn't need to be on to run backups or other maintenance.) During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Remember, screen savers don't save energy.

> Make it a policy to invest in energy-saving computers, monitors, and printers and make sure that old equipment is properly recycled. Look for a recycler that has pledged not to export hazardous e-waste and to follow other safety guidelines. Old computers that still work, and are less than five years old, can be donated to organizations that will refurbish them and find them new homes. (You may even get a tax deduction.)

3. Print smarter
The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year.

> Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.

> Make it a policy to buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content. Also consider switching to a lighter stock of paper or alternatives made from bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, or kenaf. Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones. According to Office Depot, each remanufactured toner cartridge "keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills...and conserves about a half gallon of oil."

4. Go paperless when possible

> Make it a habit to think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item.

> Make it a policy to post employee manuals and similar materials online, rather than distribute print copies. They're easier to update that way too.

5. Ramp up your recycling

> Make it a habit to recycle everything your company collects. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled. So can your old cell phone, PDA, or pager.

> Make it a policy to place recycling bins in accessible, high-traffic areas and provide clear information about what can and can not be recycled.

6. Close the loop

> Make it a policy to purchase office supplies and furniture made from recycled materials.

7. Watch what (and how) you eat

> Make it a habit to bring your own mug and dishware for those meals you eat at the office.

> Make it a policy to provide reusable dishes, silverware, and glasses. Switch to Fair Trade and organic coffee and tea, and buy as much organic and local food as possible for parties and other events. Provide filtered drinking water to reduce bottled-water waste.

8. Rethink your travel

> Make it a habit to take the train, bus, or subway when feasible instead of a rental car when traveling on business. If you have to rent a car, some rental agencies now offer hybrids and other high-mileage vehicles.

> Make it a policy to invest in videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel.

9. Reconsider your commute

> Make it a habit to carpool, bike, or take transit to work, and/or telecommute when possible. If you need to drive occasionally, consider joining a car-sharing service like Zipcar and Flexcar instead of owning your own wheels.

> Make it a policy to encourage telecommuting (a nice perk that's also good for the planet!) and make it easy for employees to take alternative modes of transportation by subsidizing commuter checks, offering bike parking, or organizing a carpool board.

10. Create a healthy office environment

> Make it a habit to use nontoxic cleaning products. Brighten up your cubicle with plants, which absorb indoor pollution.

> Make it a policy to buy furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won't off-gas toxic chemicals.

Comments

[Debbie O'Meara]

Terrific ideas! There are so many little things we can do, and they add up.
Debbie
www.organic-food-and-drink.com

[Rona Sharp]

Great tips! Lets hope plenty of CEOs and other powerful people read them (as well as everyone else working in offices of course). In my home town you can see office lights blazing away in the dead of night still!

www.greenfootsteps.com - green living tips for health and wealth

[Stephanie]

Such great ideas! Should be emailed to every HR dept. & CEO/CFO in the US!

[James Chand]

Be visible in your conservation actions instead of being preachy. People notice the bicycle helmet on my desk, and the leftovers I bring for lunch in reuseable containers. Also, if you can't convince the boss to conserve on environmental grounds (mine is an end-times type fundamentalist), convince them to conserve on the grounds that it will save money. It works!

[Alice]

Thanks for the tips! However, you should note that promoting the use of cotton as an alternative paper is an environmentally disastrous idea. Cotton involves the use of large amounts of toxic pesticides and fertilizers, which leads to water pollution. It also generally involves large inputs of toxic bleaching agents. Unless folks are going for organic cotton, it's not a good choice.

[Jim G]

If old energy hog computer equipment is donated to non-profits, it will still be hogging electricity at it's new location, so perhaps recycling energy hog computers and appliances is best?

Regarding telecommuting, perhaps it's time to start office sharing - select the day(s) of the week or times that you come in to your office, find someone who has a different schedule, and share an office with one or more employees. Not only does the company pay less in rent, utilities, office equipment and furniture, (less computers, the list goes on,) there are less office buildings constructed if a lot of people did this, which cuts down on building materials consumed.

[JayDownSouthInDixie]

If you're going to bring your dishes, silverware and coffee mugs to work, remember that you still have to wash them. In figuring the green benefit, remember that you're using detergent, water, possibly hot tap water (some offices don't provide hot water at all) and paper towels to clean up after yourself. Cups and other eating goods made from recylcled paper and recycled plastic may be as cost effective and more hygenic in the long run.

[shannon]

The best list of simple things that I've seen from a large enviro group.
Go out and try to save one place from develepment/highways every year.
I could add a couple dozen more but who couldn't.
Keep it real and leave out the pseudo solutions.
thanks.

[mary]

How can I forward these "10 Green Tips while you Work" tips to friends and family? I don't see the "email a friend" link?

Thank you.

[Dave]

How about putting the old water cooler/heater on a timer? Have it shut off when people go home and come on an hour or so before people come in in the morning?

[Brian]

Great article. Would echo the "Watch what (and how) you eat" section by adding that eating plant based foods (such as tofu instead of chicken) can double your carbon cutting power.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html

[ken barnard]

Un plug pop machines during Christmas break, central vacation periods. For example I work at a university and students are not there Christmas, Spring Break, Summer yet all pop machines are plugged in 24 hours a day. Many of these machines are old and use more energy than later ones as well.

[Kayo]

I saw the comment about using tableware made of recycled goods, and here is a link to one company that makes wheat-based cutlery: http://www.earthwarebiodegradables.com/products-w.html

If you are going to use re-usable tableware, that is, regular dishes and wash them, think about the type of detergent and how much water you're using. If your work doesn't provide biodegradable or recyclable tableware, this maybe the better option. But then at least bring your own dishtowel for drying your dishes and wiping your hands. Think of how much paper towel you use in a day.

On a similar vein, use a handkerchief and stop using paper towels or hand dryers in the restroom.

It's great if you already practice many of these tips listed above. If you're interested in the next level, encourage your facilities management department to make the entire building green. It can become certified for LEED Certification by the US Green Building Council by achieving certain levels of energy and resources consumption, office supply buying behavior, etc. Individual employee behavior is crucial, but here's a great way to make an impact at a larger scale with guidelines that are already established so that it takes a lot of the guesswork out. More info on getting your building to become certified: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

[Maryanne Appel]

It is no surprise to me that no mention whatsoever is made concerning the need for meat-eaters to adopt a vegetarian (i.e., vegan) diet (i.e. lifestyle). An enormous amount of energy is used to raise animals for the sole purpose of titillating one's tastebuds. Totally unnecessary! And almost all of the environmental groups ignore this very important issue. Is it because most environmentalists are meat-eaters themselves? I suppose so!

[Catherine Rhodes]

Could I have permission to reprint this article in my magazine, Working World?

Thanks,
Catherine
Editor

[julie kreutzer]

Great tips! By the way, I find biking to work is a great way to arrive at work alert and ready to go. Also, riding home helps me with stress and as a good transition to home. Also, besides buying healthy snacks for parties, have'em available for every day since people are going to eat snacks anyway and they might as well be eating green (organic) and staying healthy.

[Claudia Lange]

The biggest thing CEO's can do for business is follow the model in Chicago and put a GREEN ROOF on their building. It is beautiful, cleans the air and reduces storm water waste by thousands of gallons.
I also appreciate the "go paperless" tip. I get a professional journal and just asked them to please send me only the e-mail version.

[Bill]

What about bicycle commuting?

Your list of commuting alternatives is good, but you forgot the most energy-efficient transportation mode there is. Sure, it won't work for everyone, but there are many situations in which it's an excellent alternative to any other form of commuting.

I'm no spring chicken -- pushing 60 -- and don't live and work in an especially cycle-friendly city, but my bicycle gets me to work 3-5 days a week year 'round. Helps keep me healthy, too.

[Laura Cloak]

Great ideas. As a college student, I am constantly staggered by the amount of paper and materials teachers and students use on a daily basis. Encouraging students and especially teachers/instructors to be environmentally conscious is important--especially seeing as this would also teach younger generations to carry forth the same ideals.

[Dmitrii Rassokhin]

Biking to work sounds great, but, unfortunately, in the bike-and-pedestrian-unfriendly US suburbia it's a sure way to get yourself killed (well, come to think about it, if this happens, that'll help the environment by decreasing the Earth's human population).

[Lorraine Stepchin]

I do what I can to go green, but this company "Idearc" couldn't care less... :\

[Kathleen]

Another option for getting to and from work is walking. I just moved last weekend close enough to my job so that I can walk to work. It is 30 mintues each way and is wonderful for my health and well being. An excellent book for alternatives to driving is, How To Live Well Without Owning A Car by Chris Balish. I am in the process of transitioning to living without owning a car. Kathleen

[David Babbitt]

Use incandescent lights in the winter, providing both both heat and light with the same device. Cost $.25 each on sale. With compact fluorescents that generate less heat, you otherwise have to use a space heater a tad bit longer to keep the temperature up where you want it.

[Hope Ashley]

Great list!!!! I agree agree a link to forward it onn to family and friends would be great

Regarding biking to work comment a great way to get killed. Lame excuse your more likely to have a car accident. Bike cautiously and use bike paths wherever possible

[Angie]

Good point about going veggie...you aren't an environmentalist if you eat meat.