At the Office

10 Ways to Go Green at Work

These easy green office tips can help save energy, money and resources.

Be bright about light: Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings.
- Turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can.
- Buy Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures, which use at least 2/3 less energy than regular lighting, and install timers or motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when they're not needed.
Maximize computer efficiency: Each year, computers in the business sector waste $1 billion worth of unnecessary electricity.
- Turn off your computer-and the power strip it's plugged into-when you leave work.
- During the day, setting your computer to automatically go to sleep during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent.
- Invest in energy-saving computers, monitors, and printers and make sure that old equipment is properly recycled. Look for a recycler that has pledged not to export hazardous e-waste and to follow other safety guidelines.
- Old computers that still work, and are less than five years old, can be donated to organizations that will refurbish them and find them new homes. (You may even get a tax deduction.)
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Print smarter: The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year.
- Print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.
- Buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content or consider switching to a lighter stock of paper or alternatives made from bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, or kenaf.
- Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones. According to Office Depot, each remanufactured toner cartridge "keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills... and conserves about a half-gallon of oil."
- Think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, ask to be removed from the mailing list. Then recycle the item.
- Download the new Ecofont – a new typeface that incorporates tiny, inkless circles that minimize ink usage by up to 20 percent. Best of all: it’s free.
- Post employee manuals and similar materials online rather than distribute print copies. They're easier to update that way too.
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Responsible Disposal
- Any electronic waste that can’t be refurbished should be disposed of properly. Everything from monitors to scanners to batteries can be given to e-waste disposal and recycling services for little to no cost.
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Ramp up your recycling
- Recycle everything your company collects. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled.
- Place recycling bins in accessible, high-traffic areas and provide clear information about what can and cannot be recycled.
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Conserve Water
- Installing low-flow fixtures and aerators on faucets in your building will conserve gallons of water each year, and solar pre-heating systems will cut your water-heating costs. Make sure, too, to report leaky faucets or pipes to your building manager.
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Watch what (and how) you eat
- Bring your own mug and dishware to the office.
- Provide reusable dishes, silverware, and glasses. Switch to Fair Trade and organic coffee and tea, and buy as much organic and local food as possible for parties and other events. Provide filtered drinking water to reduce bottled-water waste.
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Rethink your travel
- Take the train, bus, or subway when feasible instead of a rental car when traveling on business. If you have to rent, know that some rental agencies now offer hybrids and other lower-impact vehicles.
- Invest in videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel.
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Reconsider your commute
- Carpool, bike, walk, or take public transit to work when possible. If you need to drive occasionally, consider joining a car-sharing service like Zipcar instead of owning wheels.
- Encourage telecommuting (a nice perk that's also good for the planet!) and make it easy for employees to take alternative modes of transportation when they come to the office, by subsidizing commuter checks, offering bike parking, or organizing a carpool board.
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Create a healthy office environment
- Use non-toxic cleaning products. Brighten up your office with plants, which absorb indoor pollution.
- Buy furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won't off-gas toxic chemicals.