Nearly all climate scientists (97 percent) agree that human activity is causing climate change, including offices and buildings. A study by RM Henderson, a professor at Harvard University, reported that the earth’s temperature will continue to rise. Several factors were noted to contribute to this phenomenon, including the consumption of electricity and heat production of total GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions; industry; transportation; buildings; as well as agriculture, forestry and other land use.
To reduce global climate change, we can take action by creating eco-friendly environment and it can be started from now, in your office. Studies from reputable organisations such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed that companies which embraced sustainability in their office are found to have potential to gain more profits. You can reuse products such as papers or toner or turn to some more cost-efficient products in order to save money and gain greater yields.
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Here are some eco-friendly tips you can apply in your workplace:
First and foremost, saving energy should be your number one concern. Instead of using electrical power all the time which is costly, you can change your energy power with solar panel. The more companies use nature energy as their source, the more we can save the earth from worsening climate change. However, installing conventional electricity is also necessary as the sun might not always shine all the time, such as during winter or rainy days. Make sure to also turn off unnecessary equipments such as lights, printer, computer or copy machine.
Additionally, don’t throw away that empty ink and toner. Disposing your ink and toner properly is another way of embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle. Switching to a high-efficiency lights such as LEDs and CFLs could be an option as well. Not only more cost-efficient, LED or CFL will also last up to 50x times longer than regular bulb so you can save both company budget and the environment. The key is to reduce, recycle, and reuse.
In today’s digital era, more and more business activities are becoming paperless. Therefore, switch the unnecessary written mail communication to the electronic ones. Not only will it save more trees, but also reduce cost and energy use. However, if you really need to use paper, you can as well switch to PWC (post-consumer waste product) material for paper, package, or scrapbooking plan. By using PWC recycled paper you can save 45 percent and create half the waste of traditional papermaking process.
Creating an eco-friendly company isn’t an effortless task. It needs awareness from all party, employees and management. Therefore, you should build awareness among the workforce. You can start by placing quotes to encourage eco-friendly lifestyle in every visible area in the office such as near the recycle bin so employees are not littering.
You can also initiate regular ‘Office Environment Day’ where employees can do eco-friendly activities such as planting flowers and trees in office area or simply taking care of office materials that are no longer used such as old documents or boxes to be recycled. This activity will refresh their minds while encouraging a healthy lifestyle in the office.
Using harsh chemicals at work might not good for both employees’ health and the environment. It will also impact the quality of water in the office where your employee might drink or make coffee from it. Therefore, switching to eco-friendly cleaning chemicals will be a good option.
There are national days which are dedicated to rise earth awareness such as Clean Energy Month (March), Earth Day (April), Arbor Day (April), National Bike to Work (May), Energy Action Month (October), etc. You can use these observances to improve your brand and market your products with creative and encouraging eco-friendly message. This will give you chance to draw more customers who care about the environment.
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