30 ways to go green
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Transcript of 30 ways to go green
. Turn off the lights - encourage people toturn off the lights when they leave the office.Install timers in areas such as bathrooms, kitchens,hallways and storage areas so lights are only onwhen they are needed.
2. Switch off - make sure all office equipment isturned off overnight and at weekends.Unplugging equipment saves even more energythan leaving them on stand by.
3. Send your computer to sleep - setcomputers to go into sleep mode when not inuse. Short energy breaks can cut energy use byup to 70%.
4. No more screen savers - using screensavers uses up more energy. Encourage co-workers to set screen saver settings to a blankscreen.
5. Use smaller computer monitors -smaller screens use less energy. You can reduceenergy consumption by up to 30% with a screenjust 4cm smaller.
6. Cool it - in the summer open windows anddoors and use fans instead of energy sapping airconditioning.
7. Thermostats at weekends - turn heatingand air conditioning off at weekends.
8. Be energy smart - buy electrical equipmentthat is energy efficient. Look out for the EnergyStar symbol or energy ratings.
9. Use green energy - switch your energysupplier to a company that gets its energy fromalternative green sources. Visitwww.greenhelpline.com for advice.
10. Recycle unwanted equipment - a lotof furniture and electrical equipment can berecycled. Many recycling centres will pick uplarge items. Visit www.businesslink.gov.uk formore advice.
11. Buy sustainable - if you are buying newfurniture or equipment, check out how it hasbeen made. Look for accreditations such asTCO99, ISO14001 and Energy Star.
12. Buy local - sourcing equipment from localsuppliers reduces product miles and carbonemissions. Ask the questions ‘Where was itmade?’ or ‘Can I buy a locally producedalternative?’.
13. Share where you can - reduce thenumber of newspapers and magazines youroffices uses with a sharing scheme. You can alsodo this with non business magazines.
14. Stationery swap - identify a central areafor the collection of unwanted office supplies.People can either take items they need orsurplus supplies can be stored for future use.
15. Contact your suppliers - many suppliershave initiatives to recycle their products, collectwaste and help their customers go green. Talk toyour suppliers and see how they can assist you.
16. Use both sides of the paper - set upyour copiers and printers for double sidedprinting.
17. Paper recycling - make it easy to recycleoffice paper with bins in convenient placesaround the office. Clearly label the bins withwhat should be put in each container. Organisea recycling pick up or drop off once a week.
By caring for the environment, you will also more than likely be looking after your fienvironmentally friendly in the office and see the positive impact it can have!
simple ways of goi
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18. Recycle inkjet and toner cartridges -don’t throw away cartridges, collect them andsend them to be refilled and recycled.
19. Buy sustainable paper - when usingrecycled paper isn’t possible, ensure paper ismade from sustainable, managed forests and ischlorine free.
20. Use draft settings - printing in draft modereduces the ink consumption but still givesgood enough print quality to read easily.
21. PowerPoint printing - print two or threeslides to a page for presentations.
22. Email memos - send memos by email ratherthan printing them out. People can then decidewhether they need to print them.
23. Remind people to beenvironmentally friendly - put up aposter or notice by the printer to remind them to recycle.
24. Take it home - encourage people withchildren to take waste paper home for colouringand drawing. So long as the paper doesn’tcontain confidential information, it is a greatway of reusing paper.
25. Set up a car pool - it saves on time, naturalresources and improves team spirit.
26. Be flexible - offer people flexibility to makeusing public transport more convenient.Starting 15 minutes later or earlier may make ajourney by public transport easier or quicker.
27. Work from home - give people the optionto work a day a week from home if possible.
28. Limit business trips - try using videoconferencing rather than travelling to meetings.
29. Efficient company cars - when replacingcompany cars look at hybrid options.
30. Buy Fair Trade - use Fair Trade products foryour everyday office catering supplies or sourcelocal, organic alternatives.
ur finances. Put into practice our 30 simple tips below and become more
oing green at work
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