Greening Your Workspace

The possibilities are endless, but we've endeavored to give you some food for thought on ways to get started or make improvements. Regardless of where you stand currently, there are likely ways to improve even more.

• Use less energy
• Use less paper
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Green your décor
• Make it safer
• Buy in bulk
• Buy local
• Educate your employees
• Give employees incentives
• What are some key identifiers of green products?

Use less energy

As you replace office equipment over time, consider more efficient, energy saving models. Look for ENERGY STAR-qualified office equipment, such as computers, copiers, and printers, as well as lighting, heating and cooling equipment. (For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit https://www.energystar.gov.)

As your low efficiency light bulbs burn out, replace them with those that use less energy such as fluorescents.

Wireless connectivity uses less electricity.

Use power surge strips to protect your office equipment and to ensure all office equipment and lamps are turned off at night. Computers and other equipment left in standby mode 24/7 draw electricity, as does that cell phone charger left plugged in. Think about other ways you can reduce your power usage by implementing some easy, small changes.

Consider public transportation, carpooling, biking, or telecommuting one or more days a week to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on your way to and from work.

Monitor temperature control to reduce the energy used to heat and cool your office space. Consider increasing the “comfort zone” by a degree or two in both winter and summer as a way to cut back your energy consumption without decreasing the quality of your work environment.

Use less paper

Think twice before printing multiple drafts of that email or report. Most of us have not only the electronic files on our personal computers, but back up copies and even offsite data storage. Handheld devices also make it easy to access your files when you travel and eliminate the need to carry heavy paper reports.

If your printer can print on both sides of the paper, consider adopting that option. It's an easy way to reduce your paper usage almost in half! If your current printer does not have that capability, look for the feature when you replace it.

Use paper with recycled content. In many cases you won't even be able to notice a difference in quality.

With less paper to file and store, you may not need to continue acquiring file cabinets.

Avoid or cut down the use of paper plates and paper towels. Keep a supply of “real” dishes and cloth dish towels instead.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Make it convenient for your employees to recycle as many materials as possible. Offer separate bins for various materials you can recycle in your city. Make sure everyone knows this is a priority and where the bins are located.

Materials that are most often recyclable include office paper, newspapers, beverage containers, electronic equipment, print cartridges and batteries. Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your office helps conserve energy, and reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal.

For used electronics, check into leasing programs to ensure reuse and recycling practices, or donate to schools and other organizations.

Green your décor

There are many great, innovative furnishings and flooring's to choose from that are made of natural and sustainable materials. Look for the Greenguard certification that indicates a product has been tested to ensure that chemical and particle emissions meet acceptable standards. If you're considering a wood floor, consider bamboo – it wears well, looks great, and is more eco-friendly than hardwood. Bamboo's harvest time is 5 years compared to hardwoods' harvest time of 20 years or more.

If you are going to paint or re-carpet, look for products with low VOC – Volatile Organic Compounds – contained in paint, carpets, and adhesives that can be harmful to your health, especially when the carpet is new. Also, consider bamboo rugs and chair mats like those offered by Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Company. GreenCupboards also offers eco-friendly rugs made from a variety of natural fibers from ecoFiber Custom Rugs.

Plant a tree! Or add some live plants to your inside work area.

Make it safer

Use non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning products in your work area. The available selection is vast and GreenCupboards offers products from manufacturers we believe support a greener, safer workplace.

Buy in bulk

Buying in bulk is generally more economic, but also requires less packaging, which also helps to reduce the amount of material and energy expended to produce the container.

Buy local

Just as GreenCupboards' green shipping reduces the energy expended to bring you your order, buying locally helps you reduce your carbon footprint.

Educate your employees

Enlist your employees to help you save energy and resources. Let them know you are focused on providing an environmentally friendly workplace and provide ideas on how they can contribute.

Give employees incentives

Offer incentives for new energy conservation ideas or other “green” goals at your office.

What are some key identifiers of green products?

• The product contains no toxic ingredients.
• The product has recycled content.
• The product is recyclable.
• The product contains renewable materials.

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