How To Make The Office More Eco-Friendly

Photo by Anna Shvets

Originally Posted On: https://amandakrill.com/how-to-make-the-office-more-eco-friendly/

If you work in an office, it’s likely that you have priorities other than saving the earth. Although we all try our best, sometimes other things get in the way of our busy schedules. Offices are not the most naturally eco-friendly spaces, with multiple computers, take-out lunches, and every employee driving a separate car to work. Plus, when the going gets tough and work is fast paced, we tend to make work-efficient, rather than earth-conscious decisions. However, there are ways to make your office more eco-friendly, combining efficient workspaces with earth conscious living. All it takes is a little research and some good old-fashioned cooperation!

Electrical equipment, once it is run down or used past its peak, is often dumped by offices and ends up in landfill. Landfill is one problem which is highly dangerous for our environment. The purpose of landfill is to store all the waste that humans produce that is not biodegradable and bad for the world. However, landfill contributes to deforestation, and the greenhouse gasses that emanate from the waste are damaging the ozone layer. 

One solution is to research computer recycling. Computer recycling can be done anywhere in the world and helps to redistribute the materials in your computer to good use. Recycling is a vital resource in order to save the planet, because it helps to make resources last longer and reduce new production and landfill use. 

An office is only as great as the people who work there. Therefore your office can only be eco-friendly if the employees are too! It is difficult to get people to change their habits while maintaining their comfort and efficiency levels at work, however, there is a way. Investing in an eco retreat for your office workers which involves team building and fun, educational environmental information, will help them see why being environmentally friendly is vital in every workplace. Encouraging your employees to bring lunch in sustainable packaging; car-pool to work for more social interaction and less fuel consumption; or eat a more vegetarian-based diet will all contribute positively to our planet.

If you haven’t already, going paperless at work is great for the company and for the planet. No more lost reports or disorganized filing cabinets; welcome to the future of total digitization of your company’s working environment. Going paperless will help propel your company into the future, making it seem up to date, modern and forward thinking. Plus, your products and services will be more accessible to younger generations who prefer to operate online!

And yes, you guessed it, going paperless helps the planet too. Billions of trees are cut down per year, and part of the reason for this is to create paper. Paper will always be used and always be necessary to some degree, but reducing our use of it can help the planet thrive.