I’ve been attempting to go green in every aspect of my life but sometimes I need a little guidance. When I was doing research recently into a more ecological way of life I came across Pebble magazine, a magazine about sustainable lifestyle and green living which I really enjoyed reading. I also came across research by a company called Seareach.
Seareach, carried out a survey to find what makes your office green and which elements play an important part towards an improved workspace. These are their findings.
Paperless – Work is stored digitally 20%
Labelled waste bins – Suitable for recycling 18%
Solar panels for electricity 14%
LED bulbs – Use less energy and more efficient 12%
Green heating 9%
Reusable bottles 7%
Bike facilities 6%
Electric car charging points 6%
Motion-triggered lights 5%
Plants and natural light 3%
So how have I gone green in the workplace? Like 20% of offices, I’ve gone paperless and chosen to store my paperwork digitally. It is very rare that I need to use paper but even if I do, I scan it in and save it digitally for the future. I then back up important documents on an external hard drive as well as Cloud storage.
We have also installed LED bulbs where possible - did you know the energy consumption of LED lights can be up to a 75% saving, compared to halogen bulbs? Although LED bulbs are more expensive initially to buy they use less energy and are cost-effective in the long run.
As my workspace is in my house, I don’t have the need for labelled recycling waste bins as it is only the three of us but I can definitely see the need for them in a large office - it certainly encourages staff to recycle.
Another way we’ve tried to go green, both in and out of our workspace, is by using reusable water bottles. We take them everywhere, filling them up wherever we can, rather than buying bottled water. Bottled water is expensive compared to tap water and I would only use bottled water in a country where the tap water was not safe.
Something I really wish to install is solar panels - these are great for the environment as they allow you to have lighting and run lower power appliances. There are many houses and businesses in my area who have made the move so it is definitely something I feel the need to move towards as I go greener in my day to day life.
The final way I’ve been going green in my office which also features in the survey is plants and natural light. I always like having plants in my office and around the rest of my home. Not only do they look good but they also help oxygenate the office - a double whammy! I’ve made sure I have plenty of natural light in my office too - I find plenty of natural light makes me feel more motivated to work.
I know I’ve still got a way to go when it comes to going green in the workplace, and in fact, my life. By reducing my energy consumption and moving towards digitally storing my paperwork, I know I’m slowly but surely getting there. How are you going green in your workplace? Do you have any things set up to help reduce and reuse?
By contributing little by little every day, we can all do our part towards creating a healthier environment.
*Collaborative post
This is really interesting, it is good to know that so many offices are trying to take that step to go green. After all every little counts.
ReplyDeleteI work in a school and it's great to see how the children are really encouraged to recycle paper and not waste it. I would love to see plastic bottles recycled too.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree - if we all take steps to make a change to our own behaviour, together we'll make a real difference!
ReplyDeleteI really want solar panels and our roof is south facing but the council has let the trees grow so high behind our house that they block out too much light
ReplyDelete