Businesses now-a-days are proactively doing their bit to save Mother Nature and mitigate the ill- effects of their business activity that may be harming the environment. While some companies have taken a lead over others in going green and making the office operations more sustainable, others are still looking at ways to adopt pro-environment measures. We look at some of the simple ways in which office can be made a green space:
1 Electricity Usage: One of the simplest ways to go green is to save electricity wherever possible. You have to ask yourself do you really need the air-conditioner (AC) in slightly cooler months (October and March in the Indian context). Employees have to be weaned away from the habit of using the AC who tend to switch it on even on days when open windows and cool breeze outside will do the job. Keeping the lights off in rooms like the conference room when it is not being used is a simple and effective way to reduce electricity usage. Smart lighting, that gets switched on automatically when there is human presence and switched off when there is no one is need of the hour.
2 Paperless Office:
Opting for paperless office is another important step towards going green. All of us know that paper is made of wood which means chopping off tress to make paper. You should encourage office colleagues to read on-screen only. Even if a printout has to be taken, at least print on both sides so as to cut the paper usage by half. Even for printing promotional material, recycled paper should be used.
See also: How to design the workplace as per office Vastu
3 Renewal Energy: Efforts can be made to install solar panels on the roof of the office. You are a tenant in a building, you can take permission from the landlord for installing solar panels. The cost of setting up the solar system will pay off in 3-5 years, besides helping save the environment. If you happen to own the premises, then going for solar option is even easier. Look for government subsidies or incentives in your state. These days most state governments are either offering some kind of subsidy for installing solar units or giving some kind of incentive which will not only help save the environment but also make the whole exercise more fruitful from economic point of view.
4 Indoor Plants: Little plants in offices act like oxygen cylinders and also offset any chemicals released by new furniture. They are extremely helpful in removing stale air inside the office and providing more oxygen for the office occupants. They also tend to give relaxed feeling to the staff and make the office a happier place.
5 Telecommuting: Employees can be given work from home option, especially those who are not necessarily required to come to office everyday. This will reduce the carbon footprint on the form of fuel saved on the transportation of those employees. There are a number of modern communication tools and contact can be established with such employees who need not be required to be physical present on office. If giving work from home option is not an option on an everyday basis, it can be given on certain days of the week.
6 Office Products: There are many things required in an office like stationary, consumable, cleaning material etc. Try to get stuff that is sustainable and recyclable. There are lot of things in the market that are either recyclable or at least more sustainable than other options. Keep an eye for these things when purchasing supplies for the office.
7 Waste Segregation: You can keep three different colour dustbins in the office and segregate waste depending on their recyclability. The food leftovers and other highly green waste can go in one, things like glass and rubber can go in another and plastic items can go in the third one. This way, you will be able to do your bit for segregation of waste and their recycling. There are lot of NGOs and government programmmes to help housing societies and even offices opt for segregation of waste and tying up with one of such NGO will help in mitigating environment risks and saving mother nature. The NGO might even come and put up the three dustbins free of cost at your office.
8 BYOB: All offices provide drinking water facilities to their employees. These offices also provide glasses to the staff so that they able to drink water. The glasses are usually made of paper or plastic and are thrown away after each use. Encourage the employees to bring their own bottle (BYOB) so that the glasses are not used at all or used as little as possible.
9 Green Team: Appointing some employees as the leaders for bringing about suitable changes in the office systems and practices for pro-environment measures will also help new ideas coming to the table. The leaders can be chosen from different teams and together they can brainstorm on new initiatives, after due consultation from their respective team members. This way, the changes being brought about in the office for going green will be more acceptable to all the employees.
10 Donate or Recycle Electronics: The modern day office is often full of electronic, including broken or outdated laptops, that are lying idle. These items can be donated or sent for recycling. These items are made of materials such as plastic, metals and even glass. Such electronics can be broken down or recycled effectively for use elsewhere.
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