There’s heavy focus in the media on going green in your home, but how many of us spend anywhere from 40-60 hours a week in at a desk, in a cubicle, or behind a counter?
That’s right! We all have to work! So, is it up to your employer to go green at work? Well, for some things, yes, but here’s 5 simple ways to go green at work that will cost you nothing, and possibly even save you some money!
Walk, Bike, Or Carpool To Work
Do you live close to work? How about walking or getting on that bicycyle that’s taking up space in the garage.? Yes, you’ll have to fill up the tires and dust off the seat, but not only will you be going green for free, you’ll be saving money on gas and getting some exercise in the process!
If you are too far from work to walk or bike, how about getting together with coworkers for a carpool? Even if two of you alternate as the driver, you would be taking one car off the road 5 days a week! You could also agree that the passenger buys or brings the coffee.
Go Green On Your Lunch And Coffee Breaks!
It’s understandable if you are dedicated to one type of coffee and/or tea (i.e.; Starbucks), but if are not picky and just want a jolt of caffeine to get you started, why not try making a pot of and organic brand of coffee at work?
If sticking to your favorite coffee shop, and you only hit the drive through window, then be sure to use a travel mug. This will drastically reduce the waste from your coffee cups and usually the shop will give you a small discount on your coffee.
As another way to go green on your work breaks, try to use reusable dishes and bring your own mug for the office as well, if they have a coffee and tea set up. Also, if it’s possible to drink filtered water at the office, you will be helping to reduce bottled-water waste.
Print Smart And Go Paperless When You Can
No paper was used to provide this article to you. Do you have documents that could be delivered via email, or posted online for employees and/or co-workers to save on wasted paper? If you make a mistake or need to update said file, it’ll be easy to do!
If it can’t be stored or delivered online, maybe you can cut cost and waste by printing on both sides of the paper. Also, your printer settings has options for printing in draft mode which uses less ink. Think about that when you are printing something that doesn’t have to be a high quality presentation.
Is it possible to even go paperless all together? If not, there might be outside influences creating wasted paper in your office as well. Do you get unwanted newspapers, catalogs and junk mail? Call them up and ask them to remove you from their mailing list.
Is Your Computer Going Green?
Ok, if your computer just randomly started to turn the color green, you might want to have a tech take a look at it, but that’s a different type of going green.Did you know that computers – just used for business alone – are estimated to waste over $1 billion in electricity annually?
You can help reduce this waste of electricity by making it a habit to shut your computer down at the end of the work day. Also, don’t forget to shut off the power bar as well, because that still leaves wasted energy burning while you are away.
Also, did you know that a screen saver doesn’t actually save energy? Instead, set your computer to go into sleep mode automatically after x-amount of minutes of being away from the computer. This way, some energy will be saved during meeting, bathroom breaks,and other times the computer isn’t needed.
Go Green Light!
We’ve all heard it before, and chances are good that you’ve been told it a thousand times since you were old enough to reach the light switch. Turn off those lights behind you!On an average, artificial light consumes up to 45% or more of the overall use of electricity in the workplace.
It seems like such a simple thing, but it is worth it to shut the lights off in a room even if you are only going to be gone for 20 minutes. Remember, 20 minutes 3 times a day is a full hour that you could have saved that energy from the lights in the room! Multiply that by a year, and that one simple step has saved a lot of energy!
As a side tip, if you have control of the lighting in your office, go green at work by purchasing light bulbs that are rated by Energy Star which can save you up to two thirds of energy.
There you have it! 5 ways to go green at work without really having to spend any money. Any small amount you did spend will actually save you more money in the long term, so you’ll actually be ahead and the planet will love you for it.
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