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Create a "Green" Office

Written by: Stan Gassman

Article Overview: Businesses small and large alike are determined to incorporate sustainability within business operations. This article describes simple measures which will help businesses improve their environmental performance.

Create a "Green" Office

Creating an environmentally friendly workplace is an excellent investment, achieving significant operating cost reduction, building team spirit and creating a highly desirable employment environment. And we all know that when employee morale improves, turnover decreases and hiring and training costs decrease. Publicized effectively, environmental responsibility will also enhance marketplace image resulting in increased sales and profitability. Market your new green agenda. Employees and customers will be pleased to learn that you care about the environment and are doing your part.

Ten Tips to Help Businesses Improve Environmental Performance:
1. Buy "green" products. Every day we find new, environmentally friendly products which use less materials, reduce waste and reduce energy use. We can choose compostable waste bags, biodegradable packing peanuts, non-toxic dry-erase markers, recycled plastic products, and more.

2. Use re-manufactured ink and toner cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges are 100% guaranteed and cost less than new cartridges. Each re-manufactured cartridge keeps approximately 2.5lbs of plastic and metal out of landfills and saves about 1/2 gallon of oil.

3. Recycle ink and toner cartridges. Approximately 375 million empty ink jet cartridges are taken to landfill sites every year. Recycling cartridges reduces landfill waste and associated toxins.

4. Use digital storage, not paper files. Print documents on paper when necessary but only when necessary. When hard-copy paper files are necessary, maintain a central file, avoiding individual, personal files.

5. Reduce, reuse and recycle paper. Treat paper as a scarce commodity. Communicate by email rather than creating written notes and faxing or mailing documents. When you must create a paper copy, print on both sides whenever you can, use it as scrap paper and finally recycle it when it can no longer be used or reused. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, almost 7,000 gallons of water and more than 3 cubic yards of landfill space.

6. Buy Energy Star qualified products. Energy Star printers, computers, fax machines, monitors and other office machines can reduce energy use by as much as 75%. Using "standby" or “sleep mode” when equipment is not in use will reduce energy use and improve the bottom line!
7. Unplug machines that are not in use. Most people are surprised to learn that equipment consumes electricity when plugged in-even when turned off. Use power strips for simplicity and turn them off at days-end and when you take trips.

8. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs can save up to 75% of the electricity used by incandescent light bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs and they fit standard fixtures and deliver natural light.

9. Reduce transportation. Promote public transportation, carpooling and bicycle use by employees. Use teleconferencing or videoconferencing for meetings. Purchase from local suppliers.

10. After reducing your energy consumption as much as possible, consider purchasing an offset. Individuals and businesses can offset greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon credits.





Stan Gassman, BSC Sustainability Services Copyright 2008

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Article Tags: desirable employment, digital storage, dry erase markers, employee morale, employment environment, environmental performance, environmental responsibility, increased sales, ink jet cartridges, landfill sites, landfill waste, mailing documents, packing peanuts, personal files, recycled plastic products, remanufactured cartridges, scarce commodity, scrap paper, team spirit, waste bags



Related Forum Posts
Re: 10 ideas to make you money in 2010 - I think Education would be hard to break into. Baby Boomers, Life Support and Trading Down, however, seem like good markets. As for Green technology goes, I don't think the business has to be entirely based on Green ideologies, but rather a business that embrace Green philosophies and use that as a marketing tool.
Re: Are you a Blue, Red, or Green? - Hum... a lot of reds responding... Business owners must be a very aggressive community. Now, I was surprised when I took the course personally to find out I was a Green, secondary Blue. Of course, not believing this, the first thing I did was turn to those around me to get their opinions on my colours (typical Green!). The only thing I can really say about STRUCTOGRAM is that it was fun to explore the depths of my social and physiological make-up... I did this a over a year ago now and still use it in my daily interactions (always be on your toes with Reds).
New Kid in Town - Hi everyone, I am Mike Martel, a former Special Forces Green Beret who moved in the corporate world a few years back. I found that my training and experiences were very applicable in helping people get results. I wrote a book - "Get ER Done: The Green Beret Guide to Productivity." With my coaching, I work with people to achieve massive results for themselves and their businesses.
Rich Schefren on Business Systems Video - Bigjim, 1. Create a systemized business 2. build accountability into your team 3. document your processes
Re: Getting Press Coverage - Thanks for those extra tips again Evan. Also don't forget the 'purple cow' theory. Create something truly awesome and unique and people will pay attention, including journalists. I have some off the wall stuff planned for 2010.


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