Going green isn’t just a trend. It’s a commitment to making the world a better place by limiting the amount of impact human beings have on the environment. For this effort to be successful, everyone needs to take part. This certainly includes businesses, both large and small. One area where you can go green is in your office. Here are five great tips for building a greener office.
Move to a Paperless Business Model
One thing that is harming the environment in a big way is the clearing of forests. Offices certainly contribute to this problem. The average office worker uses up 10,000 sheets of paper a year. Make the transition to only using digital files instead. It will save trees and money too.
Study the Impact of Your Office Building
For example, you may be super excited to open up the hottest new Graphic Design firm in Mesa. However, even the office building itself could be having a negative impact on the surrounding environment and local ecology. Identifying potential environmental impacts of planned operations, however, may not be something you can do on your own. If you are considering building a new structure for your offices, reach out to an AZ environmental consulting firm regarding the possible impact the building could have. They may be able to produce suggestions to lessen that impact.
Try to Cut Down on Plastic
Plastics are not biodegradable unlike other kinds of garbage. They can continue harming the environment and animals for hundreds of years if not recycled. While recycling is important, you should also consider eliminating plastics from your office all together. For example, instead of having water bottles in your office, you could have a drinking fountain or a bottle refill station to lessen plastic waste.
Consider How You Are Using Utilities
Utilities are one of the biggest overhead expenses for businesses. They are also one of their largest contributors to pollution. If you want to make your office greener, rethink how you use your utilities. For example, installing solar panels could help slash your reliance on the power grid. You could also switch to energy efficient light bulbs, appliances and fixtures. Even programming your thermostat to only run the heat and air conditioning when needed can make a big difference.
Recycle Everything You Can
While it may seem like a cliché, recycling is still one of the best ways for offices to lessen their environmental impact. You should recycle trash. However, consider purchasing recycled goods as well. Recycled office furniture is often like new and can save you a lot of money as well.
While people don’t think of the office as a huge source of pollution, the combined impact from all the offices of businesses does have a huge negative effect on a global scale. There’s also the fact you could end up harming your local environment as well. Overall, do whatever you can to transition to a greener office.
