5 Ways To Be A Green Employee
You always hear about the need for businesses to go green. This implies that the managers of businesses have to make decisions and take actions that move the business in a green direction. Rarely do you hear about the need for employees to do their part as well. Employees can in fact play an important role in helping a business go green. Here are five ways employees can be green on the job.
1) Cut paper waste. Instead of printing items and ordering print versions of magazines, newspapers, etc., read them online. It can save money and cut waste at the same time. If you will print, use Ecofont and print double-sided.
2) Use public transportation. Do you drive even though there’s public transportation available? Cut your transportation costs and slash your carbon footprint by using public transportation or carpooling to get to work.
3) Take your lunch. Are you used to going out and buying your lunch? Lunch purchased outside typically carries significant packaging that ends up thrown away. If you make your lunch at home, not only will you save money and enjoy of a typical household activity, but you will also cut on waste significantly and have the choice of making meals that are healthy, local, and organic.
4) Conserve. Just like you can cut on paper waste, you can conserve energy and water at work. If your workspace uses inefficient lighting and appliances, make sure you get energy efficient lighting and appliances. If the bathroom sink wastes a lot of water through leaks and traditional faucets, notify managers to get the leaks fixed and ask for aerators to be installed. When you leave a room, turn off the light. Conserving at work should be just as if you were conserving at home.
5) Go toxic-free. If you get your area cleaned regularly, make sure you use toxic-free cleaners. You can also get plants in your area to absorb toxic gases in the air, and ensure that any furniture and other materials purchased don’t contain toxic substances like formaldehyde.
To learn more about what can be done at work, sign up to Ask Green Irene, a comprehensive green search engine that has a lot more information.
You have very good suggestions here. If you may allow me to add a point, Century Gothic is also very economical when it comes to printing. It actually is the top font of choice when you need to save ink when printing.
These are great ideas!
Here are some we use.
1 – Turn off things that aren’t being used, such as lights and computers, printers etc
2 – Refill inkjet and toner cartridges rather than buying new ones. It’ll save you a fortune, and help to save the environment too.
3 – Try to use recycled paper for internal documents.
4 – By using the right sort of printer for the job you’ll save time, money and the environment.
5 – Try to reuse paper. Use documents that didn’t print properly as scrap paper for keeping by the phone, or for taking notes on
6 – Make use of rewritable CDs or DVDs where possible
7 – Don’t forget that USB memory sticks can hold a lot of data and are more environmentally friendly way of transporting or sending large amounts of data that would take up several DVDs.
8 – Try and make sure that you use the right size envelopes for the job in hand. Not every document needs and A4 padded envelope.
9 – Technology can help save you time and money, and cut down on the paper you use.
10 – Consider purchasing all your office furniture, office supplies, catering supplies and stationery from the same company. It will save you time and money, as well as reducing your carbon footprint.