Green Your Workplace

Being an eco-conscious individual shouldn’t stop when you leave your home. There are basic principles you can take with you and apply to areas like your workplace. Think of it as leading by example, I can guarantee others will follow in your footsteps.

Here are some simple tips to get you started.

Use paper wisely. Only print when necessary and print on both sides to prevent wastage. If you make a mistake on the printer use that paper for taking notes and jotting down phone messages. If you don’t have a paper and cardboard recycling station set up that’s easy for everyone to access, be the one to make that happen. A good tip is to put a box beside your desk for flat paper that needs to be recycled and empty when it’s full.

Make a packed lunch. This may sound like hard work, but it has many rewards. Buying lunch everyday usually results in a pile of wasted packaging and a lighter wallet. Save money and waste by bringing lunch from home in reusable containers. If you’ve got a park nearby eat your lunch there with friends and enjoy the fresh air. If (like us at EGL) you like to treat yourself once in a while, bring a packed lunch from Monday to Thursday and make Friday the one day where you all enjoy a brought lunch.

Turn lights off that don’t need to be on. If your office has large windows utilise natural light as much as possible. The bathroom is another place where there lights don’t need to be on 24/7. Set an example and turn them off when you leave, hopefully others will follow suit. Turn off appliances at the wall when not in use and if you work in a small office, replace bulbs with energy efficient ones as they blow.

Don’t rely on air conditioning to keep you snug or cool. Try wrapping up on cooler days and opening some windows when it’s warm to keep you cool. This not only saves energy but also gives your skin a break from air conditioning which can dry your skin out terribly!

Carpool with staff members or take a bus or train. A huge amount of people drive to and from work with just themselves in the car. With petrol prices skyrocketing there has never been a better time to jump on the car-pool wagon. Not only will this save everyone involved money, there’ll be less cars on the road giving the environment more of a chance to breathe, and you’ll be able to take advantage of the many transit lanes now showing up in major cities worldwide. You may even be able to catch an extra couple of minutes of sleep in the morning as you’ll be zooming down the transit lanes past all those pesky peak-hour queues.