iCompass Technologies Blog

5 ways to make your office Sustainable

  

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Reduce your paper consumption in your office and start becoming more sustainable right away. Large quantities of paper in offices are largely wasted by not thinking before printing. You can also reduce paper use by using both sides for printing, photocopying, faxing, and for internal reports. Instead of using Post-It-Notes or multiple notebooks when trying to remember things from your meetings try and save it to your blackberry or onto your desktop. In board meetings try and use dry-ease boards or chalkboard to jot down notes and actionable items to follow up on.

Invest in computers and other technology to help make your office more sustainable and efficient. Some offices are not so technology savvy or want things done the old fashion way of writing them all down, however technology is there to help personal performance not hinder it. Also because of the complexity of breaking down computer parts they have to be disposed of in the appropriate matter.

Green purchasing at the office is not just a trend it is a movement in the right direction. Your office space if the environment you and your staff call home for 7-10 hours a day. Your office building uses tremendous amounts of energy, water, and paper products every single day. However improving your offices efficiency of your office can have huge impact on your bottom line. Some of ways you can make a difference in your office is by asking your suppliers for details of their environmental policies. Try and buy recycled or reclaimed products whenever possible, especially when buying bulk. If possible try and avoid products that are shipped from over sea and try to start buying locally.

Recycling will help your office become more sustainable and have an immediate impact. Recycling has become more important as the whole world is becoming more aware of environmental issues. Some of ways to encourage recycling is to make simple. Providing recycling boxes that are clearly labelled for plain paper, cardboard, glass, newsprint, coloured paper, and organic matter make it accessible and easy. Also having a shredder next to the printer or copier area will allow employees to shred unwanted papers. Then your shipping department if you have one can use the shredded paper for packing materials.   

Energy efficiency is a must to becoming more sustainable at your office. Switching off electrical appliances when not in use or to ensure they are in power savings mode will help with your electricity bill and the environment. Try and purchase environmental friendly light bulbs for your whole office will have a huge impact on your energy consumption. Replacing plumbing fixtures to love-flow toilets and sanitary items to recycled ones is a quick and easy change.