7 simple ways to make your office eco-friendlier in 2022
The need for us to care about our environment has never been so urgent, particularly with the climate crisis and global warming.
We are all now thinking of ways in which we can do our bit.
With so much information out there about the climate crisis, reducing our carbon footprint, and an ongoing pressure upon businesses to go net zero, it can seem overwhelming.
To help small business owners to get started we’ve put together 7 simple ways in which you can become a more sustainable office, which can help your company save money, energy and protect the environment we live in.
Here are 7 simple ways to help you go green
1. Turn off all the lighting, electronics, and heat each evening
Artificial light makes up around 40% of the electricity used in offices and buildings, making use of natural light, getting into the habit of switching off lights, heating, and electronics at the end of the working day, is a great way to save energy and money. Also changing to energy-saving light bulbs all this combined is a simple and effective way to become a more sustainable office.
Invest in a green money jar and every person who forgets has to pay a fine. The money can then be donated to an environmental cause of your choosing.
2. Clean Green
By simply swapping current cleaning products for eco-friendly ones you can immediately improve your impact upon the environment.
Choose non-toxic biodegradable soaps and detergent, as well as recycled paper towels and even upcycled old clothing in place of plastic-based cleaning cloths.
3. Recycle as much as possible
Whether you work in an office or remotely, recycling is the most obvious way to minimise our impact on the environment, reducing the amount of office waste ending up in landfills.
It can be a minefield so using colour-coded/clearly labelled waste bins will help as well as educating staff on how and where to recycle.
4. Go paperless
The most environmentally friendly paper is no paper at all. Approximately 70% of office waste is recyclable but on average only 7.5% of this reaches a recycling facility. A staggering 80.6m tonnes of printing and writing paper enters the waste stream each year in the UK.
Recycling one tonne of paper can save 7,000 gallons of water. It also saves 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 4,000 kilowatts of energy. With the average office worker using 50 sheets of paper a day in unnecessary printing, there is a strong case for all of us to go paperless.
There are so many paperless options out there for businesses now, and lots of benefits to a business taking these steps and remember if you really must print use recycled paper.
5. Bring plants to the office
If you can have some plants in the office, this will improve air quality and bring some nature into the office environment. Plants produce more oxygen, offsetting any chemicals released into the air, making it a cleaner, happier workspace for everyone to work in.
6. Invest in sustainable office supplies
Next time you need to place an order for office supplies such as stationery you could commit to choosing products that are more environmentally friendly.
There is plenty of sustainable office and stationery suppliers out there.
Recycled papers, diaries, and notebooks can all be sourced easily enough at little cost. Pens are usually made from single-use plastic. Refillable options are better but can be pricey. A cheaper alternative is to consider recycled pens which are a much better option for the environment.
7. Green commuting
Encourage staff to lower their commuting emissions by walking, biking, carpooling, or using public transport.
You could take it a step further and where possible offer working from home a few days a week.
The government has a bike to work scheme. Getting involved promotes healthier more productive staff. It has savings of up to 13.8% on employer NI contributions and gives you valuable green credentials for your business. Not to mention it reduces employees’ carbon footprint.
Conclusion
So, there you have it 7 simple ways to help you go green. From switching to energy-saving light bulbs to brightening up the office with a plant or two. These are all simple yet effective ways in which you can help protect the environment.
Finally, you could go one step further as we have at Admin Made Easy. We help restore the planet by becoming a Climate Positive Workforce growing our own company forest. Here is our forest, if you decide to sign up using this link we will both receive 30 sparkly trees!
