It shouldn’t come as a shock to anybody that the environment is getting worse and global warming is a very real, and very present danger. While at home we may be taking more care of what we buy, how we dispose of it and the fashion in which we manage our energy usage, that isn’t often the case when we’re at work.
While some modern offices are being built and designed with energy efficiency and the environment in mind, most of the buildings we spend the majority of our weekdays in aren’t as geared toward sustainability and being as green as possible. However, with a few minor tweaks, that could easily be remedied.
1–Do Away With Paper
The concept of having a paperless office isn’t new, but there are plenty of businesses who still haven’t made the move away from hard copies and paper. Easier now more than ever given just how much of our work is done on computers, there is software available to keep company records stored on, so those filing cabinets should be a thing of the past.
Deforestation is a huge contributor to how badly our environment is being harmed, and the needless use and waste of paper is one of the worst contributors to that problem – while it may take some adjusting, in the long term, it’s good for both the health of your business and the planet.
2–Consider Changing Location
Unless your business is wedded to its current location for logistical reasons, completely changing scenery could be the most straightforward – and drastic – way of making your company greener. If you’re stuck out in the sticks or in a remote suburb, it’s likely the majority of your workforce are travelling to and from work individually by car, which is perhaps the most common way greenhouse gasses have damaged the environment.
If you’re able to, considering a relocation in to a major town or city centre would allow your workforce to better take advantage of public transport, which would be a far more environmentally friendly mode of transport. Not only transport, major work hubs will likely have modern, serviced offices available for rent, which are designed and built with environmental friendliness in mind.
3–Update Your Technology
Less about having the latest computers or entertainment in your office, small adjustments such as having motion-sensors added to the lighting and better management of the heating and air conditioning can go a long way. Rather than relying on the last person out of the door to flip the switch, motion-sensors can divide your office in to sectors and only provide light for the areas in which people are actually working.
There are also some offices that will have their air conditioning or heating on when it isn’t required, recirculating air at a temperature nobody desires, but nobody knows how to change, either. Easy changes to make, they won’t only make your carbon footprint smaller, but they might positively impact your energy bills, too.
