Talking About Green

There are many ways in which you can reduce the carbon footprint of your business. Some solutions may cost your business a little more financially, but many options will actually save you money too.
Use Recycled Paper
One of the easiest ways to make an immediate impact is to use recycled paper for all internal printing. Having worked in several major international banks I have seen first hand how much paper is wasted every day. Recycled paper may not be suitable for high quality documents for clients but is adequate for most prints that remain with the in office. This is especially true for short lived documents and files.
Recycle All Paper
There are many services available which will shred and recycle waste paper. For many businesses one of the main concerns about recycling is privacy. To ensure that private company data is not leaked all paper should be shredded before being sent for recycling. Just search Google for “secure shredding services” and you should find a local business that can assist.
Green Office Furniture
One of the biggest environment and financial costs for any new office is office furniture. There are now businesses which specialise in producing environmentally friendly office furniture. When a business closes the furniture is refurbished and restored so that it is as good as new. This is a great way to reduce the office budget and help the environment too. You save the environment cost of new furniture being made and vital land fill space.
Install a Water Fountain and Glasses
Another huge cost to offices is bottled water. Many people buy a new bottle of spring water everyday. In offices which provide filtered water people still use plastic cups, with as many as 10 cups per person being used every day. I worked in a bank with around 400 employees. Each year over one million plastic cups would be used for one drink and then thrown away. In 2004 I purchased myself a glass from a local shop and used that same glass until 2009, saving around 18,000 plastic cups. Encourage all your staff to do the same.
Use Recycled Printer Toner Cartridges
Some companies will refill your toner cartridges which saves a lot of waste. Toner cartridges in large commercial printers are expensive to make and pollute landfill. By using a company that refills your cartridges you save money and the environment.
Save Energy – Switch Off Lights and Computers
Large offices often have hundreds of computers running at a time even after the workers have gone home. Make it a company policy to have all computers shut down fully each evening. This not only saves electricity but also makes your information more secure. Consider installing movement sensitive lights into corridors and stairwells and turn out the lights at night. Many city offices remain lit all evening which not only burns a lot of electricity but also pollutes the night sky.
Share and Reuse Stationary
How many staplers and hole-punches does your business really need? Many people have piles of stationary on their desks which are seldom used. Have stationary stations where people can always find an item. Re-use ring binders rather than sending them to the archives. There are many ways to make your office a greener working space. One way to generally improve the atmosphere is to install some plants and pictures. A greener and more relaxing office environment can reduce stress levels and improve productivity. Can you think of some other ways to make your office greener?

Kathy Richardson is passionate about the environment. She sources used office furniture for LAMOffice.com, one the UK’s leading green office furniture suppliers.