When you decide to go green at work, you’re signing up for a huge project. First, you have to get accustomed to working green. Next up, you need to influence your colleagues to tow the green path at work.
Going fully green, like many other changes, comes with obstacles. The good news is these obstacles are surmountable, and we’ll help you do just that.
Here, we’ll explore green tips for the office, which you can implement for outstanding results. Below is your comprehensive guide to environmentally friendly office ideas.
Why Sustainable Offices Matter
You may wonder why green initiatives for businesses are still necessary — especially in the age of remote jobs. However, many offices are resuming physical operations very quickly. With physical office operations comes a need for green office initiatives.
Maintaining a green office goes beyond keeping a clean work environment. A green office is an organization that takes its impact on the environment very seriously.
Going green in the workplace can help your employees become and remain happy, thereby increasing work efficiency. Certifications from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) can improve your standing with clients as well as your reputation.
Finally, with issues like global warming, a green workplace is a crucial weapon in the battle to sustain the environment for generations to come.
Easy to Implement Green Office Ideas
If you’re thinking of how to go green at work, you’re already on the right track. With that determination, it’s all about finding the best sustainable office ideas for your workplace. From the type of lighting to your mode of operation, there’re so many green tips you can employ for the office.
When office sustainability was a relatively new concept, what was common was the three R’s — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. However, ‘Repair’ and ‘Rethink’ have joined the pack to make it 5 Rs.
These 5 R’s govern eco-friendly office ideas you can employ to ensure you’re working green. With these 5 R’s, you can develop a functional, sustainable office design.
We know how hard it can be to come up with green week ideas for the office. So, using the 5 R’s of office sustainability, we’ve broken down green tips for the office into the following subsections.
Eco Office Policies
Of all the green tips for the office, the most important is environmental-friendly policymaking. If you want to go green at work, you have to lay down specific policies.
Your eco office policies should come with clear paths of implementation and consequences for disregarding them. Your employees will actively contribute to building a green workplace when there are consequences in play.
Some of the green workplace initiatives that should form a part of your eco office policies include:
Ban Plastics and Disposables
Because plastics and disposables take a long time to decompose, they are a major hazard to the environment. Your design for a sustainable office should include a ban on the use of plastics and disposable materials.
Employees can replace plastic packs with steel, mugs, or even glass items. Your workers may initially feel too lazy to wash these items, but you’ll have to instill some form of discipline. For maximum results, tell employees about the potential ban beforehand and implement it slowly.
Build a Recycling Plant
Hold on; we’re not asking you to build a full-blown recycling operation. Instead, you can start by purchasing recycling containers and placing them at strategic locations.
If multiple recycling containers are out of your budget, you can buy two recycling boxes. Place one close to the printing area and another at a strategic location in the office. Office recycling is the most efficient of all the green tips for the office.
Allow Remote Tasks
If COVID-19 didn’t teach us anything, it led us to embrace working from home. Some of the work we do physically is unnecessary. Green tips for the office are numerous. But, you won’t need these tips when the majority of your staff work from home.
By reducing the number of people that have to be in-office at any given time, you’re reducing your office’s carbon footprint. Your office will burn less electricity, produce less waste, and it becomes easier to implement go green ideas for companies.
Stick to Green Products
As a leader in any organization looking to go green, you have to lead by example. No matter the need, you should always buy eco-friendly products. Always seek eco-friendly alternatives to materials and office supplies. You can even go as far as cutting out products that aren’t necessary.
Organize Training Sessions
If you set green tips and rules for the office without training sessions, they may not work. An employee who doesn’t see the need for office sustainability will see going green as unnecessary.
Office Equipment and Supplies
Every organization has a list of office supplies necessary for effective operation. If you’re in the manufacturing industry, you’ll need equipment and raw materials.
Due to the complexity of materials and supplies for companies in different industries, it can be hard to go the office sustainability route. But it’s doable.
Where office equipment and supplies are concerned, the following green tips apply regardless of industry.
Buy Pens You Can Reuse
If you take time to calculate the number of pens you dispose of at work, it’ll amaze you. For an office looking to apply green tips, the number of disposable pens in use should be zero.
Instead, replace disposable pens with reusable pens. You can use these pens over and again, even after exhausting the ink in them. To refill these pens, simply change the cartridge. Your employees can use reusable pens over a long period and forget about disposing of pens.
Embrace Digital
We live in a world that’s experiencing a digital evolution. Going digital can help your office reduce its carbon footprint and prevent unnecessary waste. For instance, you won’t need to print paper when you send notifications to employees via emails. By using emails, you’re reducing paper waste and energy consumption via the printer.
Embrace Eco-Friendly Printing
Printing documents in an office is one operation you can’t end immediately. As much as you reduce it, there’ll be instances where you need to print documents. To implement green initiatives in the workplace as part of your printing process, start by buying paper
with eco-friendly properties.
Make sure your choice of printing paper has no element of chlorine. If possible, buy printing papers with a recycling history or those made from sustainable plants. Another option is to streamline the number of printers and related equipment in the office.
If you need various printing-related functions like scanning and photocopy, buy a printer with these features. A single device that can perform all printing and related functions will reduce your office’s energy consumption compared to different devices for each function.
Another way to boost workplace sustainability while printing is using both sides of the paper. You should also type and print with the smallest font possible.
Be Strict with Material Usage
It’s the responsibility of an organization to provide essential materials employees will need to work. As a leader looking to boost sustainability, it’s also your responsibility to ensure a green workplace by preventing material wastage.
You can go as far as estimating how much office supplies each employee will need to do their job effectively. By doing so, you can reduce the wastage of office supplies.
Lighting and Power Use
Light and power are two crucial elements to running any business. Important as they are, there are still green tips that can regulate lighting and power use in the office.
Choose Natural Light
As much as possible, you should try to use natural light in your office. By lighting up your workplace with natural light, you’ll reduce the amount of energy you spend on bulbs.
Use Light Paint on Walls
Light-colored paint on your walls will reflect natural light easily. With the proper reflection of natural light, you can save money you would otherwise spend on lighting.
Unplug all Electric Systems
A common sustainability mistake we make as office owners and managers is leaving devices running. Even when you switch them off, you have to unplug all electrical systems.
Use Mechanical Systems Efficiently
Unless necessary, try as much as you can to regulate the use of mechanical systems like elevators, air conditioners, and coffee makers. Often, we find that many offices keep these devices running even when they’re not in use.
Green Office Kitchen and Bathroom
If you don’t have a kitchen in your office, at least you’ll have a restroom. Your attempts to go green for the office shouldn’t neglect a kitchen and bathroom. Below are helpful green office tips for these spaces:
Avoid Paper Towels
Paper towels will require an extended time frame to decompose. To boost office sustainability, replace paper towels with a hand dryer.
Reduce Water Wastage
An eco-friendly office controls water wastage. Running faucets, burst pipes, and leaky water containers are common sources of water wastage.
Clean with Eco-Friendly Products
Are you wondering how to disinfect an office and boost sustainability? The answer lies in eco-friendly cleaning products. Eco-friendly products will keep your office bathroom and kitchen sparkling using natural ingredients.
Promoting Green Initiatives in the Workplace
Promoting green initiatives in the workplace isn’t plug and play. It has to take a little time for office sustainability to become routine. Some of the steps you can try to hasten workplace adoption include:
Be an Example
No one will go green at work if you, as the boss, refuse to go green. When you go green, your employees will follow suit.
Create an Enabling Environment
Ensuring an enabling environment is the responsibility of the individual in charge of office supplies. Provide sustainable materials like papers, recycling containers, among others.
Reward System
Set up a system that rewards employees for acts that boost office sustainability. For instance, you can create a ranking system with a reward for the “most sustainable employee” at the end of every month.
Implement Policies
Create reasonable policies and guidelines for your employees to follow.
Other Sustainability Tips for The Office
Other green tips for the office include;
- Partner with green vendors
- Consider investing in plants for the workplace
- Encourage volunteering
- Encourage carpooling and other sustainable forms of employee transportation.
- Install energy-saving light bulbs
- Consider donating old materials in storage
- Set up collaborative working spaces
Turn Your Office into a Green Workplace with Mint Condition
We understand how challenging it is to carve out the time and effort necessary to turn your workplace into a green office. That’s why Mint Condition offers a comprehensive sustainability service for busy office managers and business owners. From recycling to electricity and office supplies, we can help you go green in every aspect of your business.
Final Points on Office Sustainability
Going green in the workplace is not a luxury. In the current environmental climate, it’s a necessity. Above, we’ve outlined green tips for the office that’ll help you achieve a fully sustainable workplace. Use them to design a sustainable plan for your office. Good luck!
FAQs Related to eco-friendly Offices
Below are answers to common questions about going green at the workplace:
How do I Start a Green Initiative at Work?
You have to lead by example if you want to go green at work. The best way to start is to communicate to your workers the need for change while explaining your reasons. After that, gradually implement policies along with compliance measures.
What are the Most Popular Green Practices in Offices?
Operating a digital firm is the most popular green practice in offices today. Digital firms as a green practice became popular when the COVID-19 lockdown hit. It comes with advantages like less paper, less energy consumption, and easier compliance.
Does Working Green Actually Help the Environment?
Yes, it does. By reducing waste production and energy consumption rates, you’re lessening the impact of your office on the environment.
How do Companies Benefit from Going Green?
Going green helps you save money. The amount of money you’ll spend on electricity, paper, printers, waste disposal, among others, will drastically reduce. Additionally, going green opens the door for clients looking to work with eco friendly offices.