Turn the lights off - When you leave the office for the Day, Turn off the lights in your office. Look for opportunities to turn off lights during the work day when they are not needed. This includes the conference room, bathroom, and breakroom. If they are not in use, turn the lights off.
Unplug your hardware- When you leave the office for the Day, unplug your computer and printer. Even if you “turn off” your computer (or put it in sleep mode) and printer, they still use electricity if they are plugged into the wall. So, the end result is when you leave the office, if your equipment is still plugged in – electricity is still being used and greenhouse gases are being generated. Last, your company is spending more money on its electrical Bill.
Add indoor plants to the office- Indoor Plants remove Carbon Dioxide from the air, and the plants produce fresh clean oxygen. The larger the plant and leaves, the greater the impact on air quality. Plants also have a positive psychological effect on employees.
Bring your own lunch to work - In other words, pack your own lunch. Think about the amount of waste that is generated by going to your local Fast food restaurant to pick up a quick meal. First, you have the trash which will end up in the landfill. The only thing recyclable from taking Fast food to go is typically the paper bag. However, this is not recyclable if its interior is stained by grease or food. You may have to drive to the Fast food restaurant, so your car is generating carbon emissions that are going into the air. Also, when you pack a lunch from home it’s cheaper and almost always more healthy than fast food takeout.
Use reusable personal utensils at work-instead of plastic one time use utensils. Reusable utensils include steel ones as well as Bamboo utensils. I was first exposed to this at a Scout Camp. The leader each year would bring a reusable utensil kit to each meal, and would use this instead of the plastic utensils that were offered. Truly a leader that leads by example to the Scouting Youth.
Bring in your own coffee cup or water bottle to work – Save plastic or Styrofoam coffee cups from being disposed of in the landfill by bringing in your own reusable cup.
Make sure the office or workplace uses recycled paper. If it doesn’t advocate for the change with your leadership at work.
Make sure your work has a recycling program in place so that as few items as possible go to the landfill.
Commute to work, take public transportation, ride your bike or walk to work. If you share a ride by commuting with a co-worker you will reduce greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere, so share a ride or take public transportation. You will also save money, and your car will have less miles on it, and last longer. Riding your bike or walking to work are also great forms of exercise. The environment benefits from cities that use buses for public transportation due to people having the ability to commute together instead of using cars. Also, cities are now changing their Diesel fueled buses over to Electric powered Buses which is another benefit to our atmosphere.
Join or create a Sustainability Team at work so that you can drive the change with others. If there is no sustainability team to join at your work, speak to your leaders about creating a sustainability team. This gives you an opportunity with other employees to drive and advocate for positive change in your office or worksite.
