If you could work in your office on a computer that uses 90% less energy and is 90% recyclable, would you encourage the change? According to the EPA, solid waste from computer electronics is growing faster than any other category, with over 400 million electronic parts and products headed for the dump each year. Companies such as Avatara in St. Louis, Missouri are helping offices to go green while saving money because of their product's extremely low power usage. Jim Pezold, an Avatara technology expert, describes a utility based IT service that allows a company to build a server that shares resources, while each site is tailored to individual needs, with only a monitor, keyboard, and mouse that go off when the user is absent. Virtual computing is one way to go green in the office. A list of simpler things to do can ease your work site's environmental burden considerably. Commercial buildings use almost half our energy resources while contributing to pollution through the use of hazardous materials and cleaning products, and temperature control systems. Yet there are a number of easy-to-do strategies to make our work places greener. Ten suggestions for reducing waste, saving energy, and fighting pollution include: 1. Cut down paper use through two-sided printing, reusing outdated printed paper and letterhead, and creating a common bulletin board with announcements. 2. Search out office supplies made of recycled materials as well as supplies with the least amount of packaging. Switch to 100% recycled paper. 3. Eliminate bathroom towels and install air dryers. 4. Start a program (or even a contest) to figure out way to recycle, reuse, or donate everything that might be disposed of. 5. Turn off all equipment when possible, or use Energy Star monitors, printers, and copiers. 6. Keep lights off when not needed; replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. 7. Encourage fellow workers to bring in plates, cups, and utensils to be reused. 8. Start an office compost (in a sealed container) or vote on setting up a worm bin. Alternate who gets to bring the compost home. 9. Make indoor plants an important part of office décor: they add humidity to the dry atmosphere, purify the air, deaden noise, and act as living room dividers. 10. Along with your office mates, analyze your office. Evaluate the ventilation, and lighting for efficiency, and educate yourselves about building materials and paints. Check out Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED at usgbc.org) for guidance. As long as you are helping establish a green office, you might as well be sitting on top of the world. A friend swears by her BalanceBall office chair (gaiam.com), an exercise ball set in a seat that promotes an ergonomic sitting position. It's a stress buster, she says, because bad posture and back strain are eliminated. Sometimes even sitting still can have its benefits Green Office Products are available from many retailers in many product categories. Follow the 4 R's directly to eco-friendly office supplies that are: Recycled, Refillable, Rechargeable, and Remanufactured. Look for paper clips and scissors made from recycled materials, and recycle ink and toner cartridges. Choose pens made of at least 70% recycled materials from Pilot's new initiative Pilot BeGreen. Choose recycled clipboards and smencils, and staple free staplers from seejanework.com
|
