Be NetGreen

Simple ways to green your workplace!

There are many simple ways to make your workplace more environmentally friendly.

Virtual faxing – Switch to paperless faxing. It works much like email on your end, but works seamlessly with the recipient’s traditional fax machine. If your business sends and receives a large amount of faxes, this is a great option for saving money and reducing paper waste.

Print double-sided - If you must print, print on both sides of the paper or print two documents per page. You can adjust the settings on most printers to do these things. If the document you are printing is not a final copy, you can print in a draft setting. This reduces the amount of ink used, ultimately saving you tons of money on new ink cartridges.

Refill - Most ink cartridges can be refilled. Some office supply stores offer this service and ink refill stores are usually easy to find. It’s cheaper than buying a new cartridge and cuts down on a very popular piece of office waste.

Virtual documents – Rather than traditional paper memos, why not send e-memos? Working exclusively with digital documents makes storage and sharing of files much easier. Today’s technology allows for huge amounts of data to be stored in a remote hard drive so that people in your network can access files whenever they need without having to shuffle around any papers.

Switch to e-bills & e-invoices – Receiving bills online eliminates much of the hassle of waiting for the paper bill then writing a check and waiting for it to arrive and clear. Payments can be made immediately online, saving you the trouble of waiting for the snail-mail and saving the paper that would have been used to print the bill from a landfill. Ask your boss about switching to e-invoices for customers. You’ll be able to send out invoices and receive your payment much more quickly all while reducing paper waste!

Teleconference – If your company often hosts or attends meetings, investigate teleconferencing as an option. By purchasing a high quality speaker phone, your company can reduce the number of work-related trips its employees have to take. If the resources are available, installing a video conference system makes virtual attendance more realistic than ever!

Source locally – Although it can often times be cheaper to purchase inventory from factories located overseas, the local and environmental impact of doing so is severe. Purchasing from near-by vendors boosts the local economy and ensures a lower carbon footprint for your merchandise.
Using rechargable batteries can save you lots of money and keep these toxic items out of landfills and even worse - out of the waterstream.

Recharge – Batteries always seem to die just when you need them the most. Next time your remote control dies, try replacing the dead batteries with rechargeable batteries. Batteries contain hazardous materials which must be disposed of properly. By purchasing rechargeable batteries, you can prevent the risk of these highly-toxic items from ending up in landfills where they can leak into the soil and groundwater.

Ship green – Try shipping your merchandise or documents with a green shipping company. If you are shipping only within your city, it may be possible to hire a bicycle courier to deliver your package – that means 0 transportation carbon footprint!

Bottled Water – Purchasing bottled water has become common practice. However, when you think about it, bottling and shipping a natural resource that is easily available (and quite cheap) in nearly any restaurant, home or business seems a bit odd…Instead of providing your office with bottles of water, rent a water cooler. It’s much cheaper than buying individual servings of water and keeps countless bottles and caps out of landfills.

Recycle - Offices often produce large amounts of waste that could be recycled instead. If your office doesn’t already implement a recycling program – start one! Most cities will recycle paper, glass, metal and some types of plastics. Check if curb side pick-up is available. If your office hires a cleaning company, speak with them about placing recycling bins around the office.

Energy Star - If your workplace is in need of new computers or appliances, purchase energy efficient equipment. Doing so will save you plenty of money on your utility bills. Products displaying the Energy Star symbol are guaranteed to meet the governments energy efficiency standards.

Donate - Once your office has purchased those spiffy new energy-efficient computers, consider donating your old equipment. There are many organizations that accept and refurbish used office equipment who would love to have your old computer, printer or cell phone. Many places offer pick-up service.

Mood lighting – Many offices are designed to provide ultra-bright industrial lighting to even the darkest of corners. If this sounds like your office, consider turning off a few of these lights. Chances are that your office will still be sufficiently lit and you’ll be able to reduce your energy consumption drastically. When those light bulbs burn out, consider replacing them with high-efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Climate control – Be mindful of the thermostat. Many offices are far too cold for comfort in the summer and sweltering in the winter. Some thermostats have the option to automatically turn down the heat during times when the office is empty. Try adjusting the settings to create a more moderate temperature in the office.

Reduce your flush – At some point in time you’ve probably heard the suggestion to flush the toilet less frequently in order to reduce water consumption. While that is an option, it’s not necessarily everybody’s favorite option. If your office bathroom is in need of renovation, purchase a low-flush toilet. This simply means that the amount of water used per flush is reduced (without reducing the power of the flush). If renovation isn’t an option, try placing a brick inside the tank of your toilet. This creates the same effect as having a low-flush toilet.

Public Transportation – With skyrocketing gas prices and monthly parking fees, taking public transportation to work is ever more enticing. Encourage your co-workers to commute to work via public transportation, bike or by foot. Many workplaces provide employers with bus or train passes and offer bike storage facilities.