Easy Ways to Make your Office More Eco-Friendly

Going green isn’t a new idea, but there are still very few businesses adopting the notion on a day to day basis. If you’re workplace is guilty of being a little wasteful in, then it’s not too late to change. Start by following these easy steps and boost the eco friendliness of your office:

Plants

If you fill your office with plants, you’ll not only see how much better it looks but also reap the benefits for your health too. Plants purify the air we breathe, so introducing a couple into a crowded office can do wonders for employees and could even help reduce the amount of colds and flu in the long run.

A Spider Plant is one of the easiest indoor plants to take care of and it also removes pollutants such as formaldehyde and xylene from the air. Another plant that packs an impressive punch in an office is a Dracaena. When full grown this plant looks really exotic and is the perfect fit for the office, the Dracaena removes pollutants benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and xylene from the air.

Printing

Too many offices still have a huge box of unused printouts that they throw into the rubbish bin each week. To prevent employees printing documents they could just as easily read online, impose an ‘important documents only’ policy on printing.

You can also buy and reuse recycled paper and ink cartridges for your printer. To encourage sensible printer use you may need to put an obvious sign up around the office and email out frequent reminders.

Energy
Having a policy where everyone turns off their computers and lights at the end of the day can have a huge impact to how your business uses energy. You could even switch to a green energy supplier if you work in a private office.
Lighting is the main cost and energy sapper though, make sure that you replace bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives where possible to save money and be more eco-friendly.

Transport

Where you can, encourage employees to work from home so that there aren’t so many people driving in and burning fuel each day. If it’s essential to have all of your employees in the office each day, try and arrange lift shares or promote the cycle to work scheme.

Recycle

Recycling is so simple, but not enough offices are doing it enough. You can recycle almost everything these days and so to encourage the lazier employees in the office, you’re going to need bins that are easy to use, easy to move and with clear signage so the right stuff goes in the right bin. For larger offices, a bulk refuse container may be the solution, allowing you to throw away every recyclable waste product in the office, which can then be collected at a later date. For more information on this type of solution visit the Tente website.

Greener cleaning products

Bleach is not good for the environment, yet most people still use it for every day cleaning. It’s a good idea to replenish your cupboards with cleaning products that are toxin and irritant free – they are just as good at cleaning and won’t damage the environment quite as much!

Making your office more eco-friendly isn’t difficult, but making a few changes around the office can have a huge impact on the environment. Whether you choose to reduce the energy in your office, move to sustainable products or just get more mindful about your waste, it will all make a big difference in the long run.