7 Ways to Turn Your Office into an Environmentally Friendly Workplace

Although many of us try to make our homes more environmentally friendly, most of us forget about the office and work space. Companies, especially larger ones, greatly contribute to the pollution of the environment in which we live. It is high time to change our habits and focus on a more ecological way of life.

To help you turn your work environment into an eco-friendly workplace, we’ve scoured the web for the most practical tips on how you too can contribute to greater sustainability in your office – after all, we can all contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment!

1. Turn Off Electronics, Lighting and Heating Every Night

Establish a strict rule that everything is off at night. Many offices leave computers and other devices on overnight – not only is this a waste of energy, but the whole thing is also a big risk in terms of fire safety. Therefore, when leaving the office, all your equipment should be switched off from the main socket.

2. Use Renewable Energy

Green energy sources, including solar and wind, are more accessible than ever, with options including rooftop solar and large-scale wind farms. Organisations of all sizes can make this switch.

If your business is in a deregulated electricity country, one easy way to make your office greener is to shop your electricity supplier and choose a green energy plan. Almost every electricity supplier offers green energy plans that are generated from renewable energy sources, mainly wind and solar. These green electricity plans are very competitively priced compared to traditional electricity plans powered by coal or natural gas.

3. Get Rid of the Thermostat

Workplaces are often too air-conditioned during the summer months. You can reduce your impact on the environment just by setting the air conditioner a few degrees higher than usual (eg 23°C instead of 22°C). In this way, you will use much less kilowatts per month and thus save money every year. Smaller businesses may not see such a dramatic change, but small adjustments made with purpose develop positive habits that make a difference over time.

4. Avoid Wasting Paper

Corrections and updates to printed documents contribute to the vast majority of all office waste, with the remaining 10% taking up storage space. If possible, the documents should therefore be digital. It’s quite simple – store digital files on your computers and mobile devices instead of in filing cabinets. You can also get into the habit of viewing digital documents on screen instead of printing them. If companies reduced their use of office paper by going digital, they would reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by several metric tons.

Other ways to avoid paper waste include printing less in general and asking vendors to offer e-statements and invoices instead of paper statements. Setting up automated payments further reduces paperwork by eliminating the need for printed checks. By using existing technologies to remove some of the paperwork burden of the accounts payable process, companies would find that they have reduced their carbon footprint and improved the efficiency of their operations.

5. Decorate the Office with Plants

If possible, brighten up your space with indoor plants. This will improve indoor air quality and bring some nature into the office environment. Plants produce more oxygen, replace any chemicals that new office furniture releases into the air, and create a cleaner and happier place for your people to work.

At the same time, a piece of nature indoors increases the productivity of your employees and turns your office into a more accessible and pleasant place for you and your clients.

6. Take Advantage of Natural Light

Employees who work near sunny windows also have up to 15% higher production rates. Natural light sets the body’s circadian rhythms, which control wakefulness, sleep, vitamin D synthesis, and digestion. Interior light, however, is a big distraction.

Relying more on natural light when possible also saves energy. Therefore, consider also installing a smart distributor at each workstation, replacing all lighting fixtures with LEDs, and incorporating sensors and timers for office lighting. This will reduce energy consumption and costs for things like utility bills.

7. Encourage Green Commuting

Companies can encourage employees to reduce emissions when commuting by walking, cycling, carpooling or public transport to the office, and offer incentives to do so.

Offering work-from-home policies can also reduce your company’s carbon footprint. Instead of driving a few hours a day and driving a few hours a year, the company can reduce employee travel whenever possible. There are many great online/video conferencing tools available that can help a business save budget while reducing emissions.