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Top Ten List: Go Green At Work
March
2007: Most of us spend a third of our day at the office – and that’s
not counting the commute. Apply these energy-saving tips in the
workplace to reduce stress on yourselves and on the planet.1.
Turn off the lights. Remember to hit the switch on your way out for
that well-deserved lunch break. The energy savings from 10 million
employees turning off unneeded lights for 30 minutes a day is enough to
illuminate 50 million square feet of office space.2. Get off
mailing lists. The last thing you need is another office supply catalog
or credit card offer on your desk. Before tossing out junk mail, call
the company’s toll-free service number and ask that your name be
removed from the mailing list. Have online retailers e-mail you
instead. Almost half of all catalogs are never opened, yet nearly 62
million trees are destroyed and 28 billion gallons of water are used to
produce them every year.3. Put your monitor to sleep. Whether
it shows off your vacation photos or a cool 3D animation, a computer
screen saver is not at all designed for energy efficiency. It’s
intended to save your screen from “burn in,” not to save energy.
Because monitors are responsible for more than one-third of a
computer’s energy consumption – even with screen savers – the best way
to conserve energy is to set the monitor to sleep or power off when
you’re away for an extended period. If you’re gone for 5-10 minutes,
enjoy one of CI’s screen savers. Any longer than that, put the monitor
to sleep.4. Use the stairs. Your brain gets exercise all day,
why not exercise your body? Get your heart pumping by taking the stairs
instead of the elevator. It’s good for your health, and it saves
electricity.5. Make your printer’s toner last. Being cheap is a
first date no-no, but it’s okay to be frugal at the office. When
printing rough drafts or documents for internal purposes, change the
printer’s settings to economy mode and avoid color if possible.
Econo-mode uses up to 50 percent less toner and prints twice as many
pages as other higher quality settings. Duplex printing also uses half
the amount of paper.6. Provide incentives for commuters. Free
food and a year-end bonus are nice perks, but to really make workers
happy, help ease their daily commute. The government rewards businesses
that encourage their staff to carpool, bicycle, or walk to work under
the Commuter Choice Program. Telecommuting and flexible work hours can
also save employers by reducing absences and job retention costs.7.
Recycle and reuse paper. Americans toss out about 35 million tons of
paper each year. Buck the trend and start recycling – not only standard
white printer paper, but all of the magazines, manila folders, and
colored post-it notes that decorate your space. If it tears, it can be
recycled. Recycled paper manufacturing generates 74 percent less air
pollution, and saves trees, water, and energy. To salvage papers that
are printed on one side only, flip them over and use for incoming faxes.8.
Purchase 100 percent post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. Take
note when buying paper – the higher the percentage of post-consumer
waste, the larger the amount of recycled material is contained in the
paper stock. This means that 100 percent post-consumer waste paper is
made entirely from recycled products. Also, chlorine used for bleaching
is one of the biggest polluters in the paper-making process. Choose
non-chlorinated paper, which has the same quality as the bleached
variety.9. Recycle and reuse office supplies. Do as Mom says
and clean your plate, literally. Washing and reusing the plastic dishes
and cutlery you get with take-away food is an easy way to cut down on
waste at work. Better yet, pack your lunch in reusable containers and
pocket your hard-earned dollars! Skip the paper (or worse, Styrofoam)
cups and refill your travel mug at the nearby coffee shop instead. It
may even get you a discount. Besides aluminum cans and glass bottles,
there are many other supplies stashed in and around your desk that are
recyclable, such as batteries, printer cartridges, DVDs, CDs, and more.
10.
Curb phantom electricity. Many appliances still consume energy even
when turned off. Items left plugged into the wall, such as a cell phone
charger or laptop adapter, can leak more than 20 watts of power. In the
United States alone, “phantom electricity” emits roughly 12 million
tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Avoid this by plugging office
equipment into a power strip and turning it off at night and on
weekends.
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