Eco friendly or environment friendly means observing minimal wastage and adopting a green lifestyle. By going green we mean using products that are recyclable and reusable, planting more trees and using devices that release greenhouse gases in moderation. This will reduce overall pollution.
An eco friendly environment can be more positive. You would be happier if you contribute less to non recyclable waste. You will feel nice about not littering around unnecessarily and conserving nature. And if your office allows you to be eco friendly, you will work with more dedication and positivity.
How to make your office eco friendly?
1. Use reusable pens and papers
Papers and pens produce major of the waste in an office. Use recyclable pens instead of disposable ones. This might seem like an unnecessary change but practicing this will make a significant difference in non-recyclable plastic wastage.
If your office work requires use of paper, make sure to reuse them by using their backside and margin space. This way you will use the paper completely before throwing.
And the office can also tie up with paper recycling plants to ensure that their waste paper is not thrown in the bins.
2. Cut down paper use
Some office environments involve usage of papers a lot. For such offices, it would be helpful in saving papers by reducing the font size. With smaller font, lesser pages will be printed.
For other offices that can go completely digital, now is the time. Keep paperwork minimal and ask yourself if you really need to print whatever is on your screen.
If your work includes trading, consider e-mailing the bills instead of giving a hard copy. This will reduce a lot of paper waste.
3. Avoid using tissue papers
Install a towel hanger and keep a cloth towel. This will replace the tissue box. Make sure to change towels twice a day to promote hygiene. People use tissue after eating to clean their hands or after using bathrooms to dry their hands. You can also get a hand drying machine to avoid unnecessary tissue use.
4. Save electricity
In an office, usually all the electronic devices run throughout the day. It would be better to switch off unnecessary lights and computers.
Activate the sleep setting in your computer or laptop and keep the timer as 5 minutes. So, the device will be on sleep mode after 5 minutes of inactivity. By default, the sleep setting has a timer of 15 minutes.
Avoid keeping the A.C. on all the time. A.C. releases greenhouse gases that deplete the ozone layer.
5. Use reusable crockery
Paper or plastic plates, cutlery, cups and disposable glasses are thrown into the bins after single use. If your office has shifted from plastic disposables to paper disposables, you are still using a lot of paper.
Invest in reusable crockery made of steel or glass. Encourage bringing lunch from home. Avoid eating packed food as they usually come in single use packing materials.
6. Buy a dishwasher
Beverages like tea and coffee are usually served in disposable cups because of hygiene purposes and also because it is a hassle to wash so many cups. Install a dishwasher for washing purposes. This way, you will avoid the use of single use cups and crockery. And clean dishes will also attract your employees to avoid single use plastic.
7. Stock reusable bottles
Single use plastic bottles also contribute to plastic waste. It is wiser to buy water bottles. Water bottles last beyond a year.
Usage of water bottles to drink water will also reduce usage of disposable glasses. And keeping a water bottle on your work desk will also encourage you to drink comparatively more water.
Buying fancy water bottles will only beautify your office.
8. Go green
Install plants instead of air purifiers. You can also put scented plants to suppress bad odors. Your office will no longer need odor fresheners and diffusing machines.
Plants also control humidity keeping their environment cool.
Keeping plants in the office not only enhances the appearance but also induces peace and happiness in the employees. Plants also improve concentration levels, memory retention and energy level.
9. Wear casual clothes
If the dress code in your office is strictly formal then the clothes need dry-cleaning. The process of dry-cleaning is not environment friendly and leaves a lot of waste behind. Also, wearing a suit in summers will make the employee feel hot and there will be more use of A.C.
And think about it; it is a cost-effective step for both the organisation and its members.
10. Using LED lights
LED lights not only use less power but also give more light. This way, you will be needing lesser number of lights in your office while also saving on your electricity bills.
Make sure you replace broken lights regularly as they consume more electricity.
11. Have an eco friendly events and games
To encourage your employees to go eco-friendly, organise events that promote going green, and not just in the office but at home as well. You can plant trees in your community and talk about the benefits of going green in these events. Host these events regularly to keep reminding your employees about the organisation’s goal to be eco-friendly.
You can also organise fun games like asking employees to write their names on their pens and if a person leaves their pen on someone else’s desk, the person who claims the lost pen gets a point. In the month end, the person who claims the maximum number of pens wins.
There could also be a monthly competition regarding who leaves minimum waste.
12. Reduce toilet water consumption
This step reduces the wastage of water significantly. All you need to do is put a brick or a bottle filled with water inside flush tanks. Every time the flush is used, doing so will release less water.
You can install low-flush models if you are considering replacing existing ones.
The Bottom Line
Going eco friendly has become more important now than ever. These are some of the tips that are easy to incorporate not only in your offices but at your homes as well.
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