The accelerated rate of deterioration of the environment requires taking urgent measures to help heal it. For this, it is not only important to take care of the home environment but also work. Chances are you spend most of your day at work, so it’s important to learn actions you can take to create a better world or simply make your business more sustainable.
What is the use of worrying about a business or about day-to-day life in general if we accelerate the destruction of the planet? Thus, it’s better to choose to collaborate in caring for the environment, from small and simple gestures to other more complex forms.
Although at first, it may not seem like it, it is not necessary to carry out great actions to take care of the environment in our work, but each one can contribute a small part. These actions are applicable whether you work as an employee or if you are self-employed. If living green is important to you, allow us to present some actions so that you can learn how to take care of the environment at work and how to pollute as little as possible.
Save On Consumption
Did you know that energy consumption, in addition to being one of the main expanses of the company, is also causing an immense impact on the environment? Any person from the eco-management industry can tell you about the dangers of wasting unnecessary resources.
Saving energy without reducing work capacity is possible and is also good for the company’s bills and the environment. The actions can be very diverse, such as turning off the computer (at least the screen) or other equipment if they are not in use, or walking instead of using the elevator. When it comes to appliances, the low consumption versions are pricier than the conventional ones, but at the end of their useful life, they have meant a considerable saving of energy and money. Lighting can account for up to 30% of the total energy bill for an office. For this reason, it is highly recommended to assume responsibility and only use it when absolutely necessary.
When it comes to Air Conditioning, it’s best practice to only use it when necessary and by taking advantage of natural temperature regulation first, or dress comfortably to reduce the use of air conditioning. It’s worth knowing that the same practices apply to combating cold.
Other advice is to consume only the essential water and fix dripping faucets and broken cisterns as soon as possible, which can waste up gallons of water yearly if not fixed on time.
Reduce Waste
Pens, printer cartridges and toners, batteries, plastic cups and bottles, etc. It has been proven that they all contain various polluting compounds for the environment and health. For this reason, it is advisable to use only the essential ones. And if you can, extend their lifespan and reuse them as much as possible (avoid throwaway products). Once you have used fully used them, make sure to recycle them.
Remember, simple and practical gestures are the ones that matter the most. For example: refill toner and ink cartridges; reuse envelopes and boxes; put differentiated bins to recycle paper, plastics and organics; carry cups, glasses, jugs or drums to avoid single-use containers; use rechargeable batteries or systems with solar panels; update the components of the computer to extend its useful life, etc.
One of the most consumed materials in a job is paper. In order to reduce your consumption, it is a good idea to reuse as much paper as possible, review documents before they are printed, or recycle the paper. Instead of simply throwing papers in the trash can, you should dispose of them properly. Protecting sensitive, confidential, or proprietary information is essential. When confidential information lands in the hands of the wrong person, breaches can occur. So, don’t just toss the documents in the trash bin, make sure you destroy them with the help of a paper shredding company. Once this is done, you should recycle the paper.
Commute Responsibly
Traveling from home to the workplace is one of the most important causes of traffic jams, noise, pollution, etc., in the cities. Therefore, whenever possible, it is preferable to go to work on foot, by bicycle or by public transport if accessible.
If a private vehicle is necessary, try to at least go with several colleagues or with other workers in the area, thanks to ride-sharing apps. And when you get behind the wheel, you can use less fuel and emit fewer pollution thanks to electric cars. These cars have been drastically improved during the last years and now can even cost less than their gasoline counterparts.
Work From Home
During the last two years, companies have learned that teleworking can have a lot of benefits. Fortunately, these benefits also transpose into the eco world as well. Companies that can incorporate telecommuting, either full time or on certain days of the week, in addition to reducing costs and improving their productivity, also help the environment. For their part, telecommuters can be greener in their work environment and in the way they carry out their daily duties.
Think about all of those hours that you are not spending in the traffic, all the unnecessary things that must be open in an office and all the expenses spent on electricity and water. At home, we can be even more careful with our expenditure and thus ensure that we are living as green as possible.
Use Eco-Friendly Materials
When buying paper, office supplies, furniture, etc., it is a good idea to check if they carry eco-labels. It is also important to check if the work tools are made of recycled, recyclable, biodegradable materials, and thus choose these instead of others that are not.
Such a company as ECO Green Equipment is a must for industries if you are trying to work as efficiently as possible. Again, as these appliances can cost more, they can also save you more in the long run. It has been proven that eco also means high-quality in most cases as well.
Print Wisely
You would be surprised to hear about the amount of power that printers can use. Printers consume large amounts of ink and paper, but there are some things you can do to control and optimize your printer usage.
One of these is to print in black and white whenever possible, print on both sides, recycle ink and cartridges or use multifunction printers (they save energy). With these actions, in addition to taking care of the environment, you will save important resources.
Final Words
Not all sectors emit the same levels of pollution. For example, heavy industry (such as chemical or metallurgical) is one of the most aggressive industries with the environment, although it can also be polluted from office work. In fact, it is estimated that up to half of the energy consumed in the services sector is made from office buildings.
Although it depends on many factors, individual actions can help reduce the deterioration of the environment, such as the greenhouse effect. For this reason, it is important to reduce energy and raw material consumption in the workplace, adopt sustainable habits or minimize pollution, and, thus, you will be able to take care of the ecosystem. We hope this article has helped you understand how you can do your part and make the Earth a cleaner and safer place.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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What are the main types of activities that can be changed right now?
The first thing every company can start with is not even some significant change like buying eco-friendly materials, but simply reducing emissions with bins to recycle paper, reused envelopes and boxes, or simply reviewing the documents before they are printed so as not to reprint them later.
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Who needs change at work first?
Since all industries in which people work have varying degrees of use of natural resources and environmental pollution, this should be taken into account in the scale of your eco-promotion plans. For example, it is much easier for companies that can offer work from home to employees than it is for factories to implement. And so they have the implementation process itself is less. But of course, in every area, there should be eco-promotion.
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How costly is all this?
Some tips allow you to spend less, such as using public transport or walking. But the very implementation of a full-fledged eco-lifestyle may require financial resources, especially if you want to hire a person to help you with this; or while buying eco appliances. But you must remember that you will get much more from it.