Now more than ever modern businesses are becoming more conscious about their impact on the environment and what they can change around the office to help do their part. Making your office environmentally sustainable is a great place to start. Here are some office solutions to help you achieve an environmentally friendly workplace.
Manage waste
One of the biggest issues facing our environment is waste. If your office doesn’t already have a recycling bin, it’s time to introduce one. Don’t just provide paper recycling bins either. Provide a recycling bin in the lunch room for cans and bottles, and provide bins for cardboard and recycled printer ink cartridges too. If you want to get serious, train your staff to separate their waste and provide a food scrap container or bin. If your office has a garden, this will provide great compost. Staff with gardens can also benefit.
Provide keep cups
If you find that your employees are ducking away for a coffee or picking one up on their way into the office, provide them with keep cups. Not only does this help reinforce your encouragement of environmental sustainability, it also provides a nice bit of marketing for the company.
Switch the cleaning
Use environmentally friendly cleaning products throughout the office instead of using chemical-filled commercial cleaners. Making the switch may seem like a small step, but it’s a big leap in the right direction for your environmental sustainability.
Another great and simple way to freshen up the air in your office and keep it clean is by bringing in some plants. They can even help to improve your employee’s mood. There’s always room for some easy-to-maintain succulents. Alternatively, encourage staff to open the windows instead of relying so heavily on air conditioning.
Try to leave the car behind
Where you can, leave the car behind and rely on public transport or your bike. Encourage your employees to do the same and find a more sustainable way to get to and from work. If your office is not located close to public transport links, try and help your staff organise car pools.
Switch the power off
Before you close up the office for the night, make sure everything is switched off. Microwaves are one of the biggest electricity-using culprits, even when they’re not in use. Encourage your staff to turn the microwave off after using it. Also power down any computers, lights and printers when no one is in the office. Doing this is a great help to the environment and a great way to help you save on your electricity bill!
Sustainable furniture
Looking around the office, you’ll notice that the workplace is filled with furniture. Opt for sustainable office furniture to fill your office. There are now many options for chairs and desks that are made from sustainably sourced materials.
Natural power and light
One of the most recent and popular developments to help achieve sustainability in the workplace is solar power. Install solar panels on the roof of your office to collect, store and use a more sustainable energy source.
When it comes to lighting the office, flickering halogen lights are so 1970s. What your employees would prefer is natural lighting. Make sure there are enough windows in your office so you don’t have to rely so heavily on lights.
Spread the word
If you want to get serious about making your office an environmentally sustainable one, you’ll need everyone on board with the idea. Educate your employees on the ways they can help contribute to making the workplace more environmentally friendly by sharing emails, putting posters or flyers around the office or getting someone in to provide tips and tricks on doing this.
Now that you’re ready to start doing your part for the environment, get in touch with Grace Business Services. We’ll provide quality relocation services should you decide to relocate to a more sustainable location. We can also help deliver and install your new sustainable office furniture.
