How Can We Make our Office More Eco-friendly?
With the growing awareness of how we impact the earth, environmental problems are increasingly getting the attention it deserves. In addition, people are taking voluntary actions, and several businesses are adopting environmentally sustainable strategies to reduce their carbon footprint.
So if you work in a coworking setup or an office, there are several things you can do to implement eco-friendly policies. Here some of the tips you can use to make your office space more eco-friendly:
General Eco-friendly Tips for Office Space
●Place recycling containers throughout your office space and recycle what you can. For instance, rather than throwing old paper in the garbage, you can toss it away into the recycling container. This will allow you to use it again for writing down notes or printing. You can also recycle electronics that your office does not use anymore.
●Make sure that your workplace is being cleaned using eco-friendly products that are not harmful to the environment.
●Instead of printing and distributing meeting agendas, make use of overhead projectors or mobile devices to display them.
●Encourage your coworkers to use glasses, mugs, cutlery, and dishes in place of disposable items.
●Brings more plants inside the office to make the space environmentally friendly and increase the quality of air.
●Make use of coffee filters that are produced from recycled paper, or even better, buy a coffee maker that does not need a coffee filter.
●Try to purchase products that have minimal adverse effects on the environment.
Eco-friendly Tips for Office Lighting
●Turn off the lights in every room that no one is using to reduce power consumption.
●Do not leave the office lights on overnight.
●Wherever necessary, replace regular incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs or CFLs (fluorescent lamps) as they consume 75% less energy.
Eco-friendly Tips for Office Computers
●When not in use, turn off your computers or put them on standby mode to power it down.
●If possible, donate the old equipment of your computer to a non-profit or charity when replacing the equipment. If not, take it to a recycling facility for electronics.
●Always keep your computer equipment updated. Remember, new monitors and computers are more energy-efficient than the old ones.
Eco-friendly Tips for Office Washrooms
●To reduce the flow of water from taps, install low-flow faucet aerators. You can also install motion sensor faucets.
●After using taps, turn them off completely to ensure water is not dripping.
●Replace old toilets with new ultra-low flush models that use less water per flush.
●Toilets that are running continually, get them fixed immediately to avoid wasting water.
●Rather than using hand dryers or cloth towels, use paper towels.
●Make sure to use green products to clean washrooms.
Eco-friendly Tips for Office Heating and Cooling System
●Ensure that the heat pump, furnace, and air conditioning systems in the office are working properly and are serviced regularly.
●If you have access to the thermostat and when your office is occupied, cool your office down to 78 degrees Fahrenheit or heat it to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. When the office is unoccupied, adjust the same temperature between 7 or 10 degrees Fahrenheit up or down, respectively. This will help you to save an enormous amount of energy.
●Use caulk or weatherstrip to prevent heat loss from the doors or windows.
Implementing the tips mentioned above will make your office space more eco-friendly and can result in many positive effects. Today, most renewable solutions turn out to be profitable for businesses in the long-term. However, more than making your business popular and profitable, your focus should be on caring for the welfare of your planet and making it a better place to live.
