By Alyson Lundstrom
(Originally published for Zero Me Sustainability)
American offices are responsible for using 4 trillion tons of paper waste annually which equates to chopping down 100 million trees per year. Whether they are part of a company’s core mission statement or a product of mandatory compliance, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) measures prioritize sustainability more than ever.
Large-scale environmentally friendly corporate measures are widely seen as a way to “future-proof” a company's trajectory. The early adaptors are rewarded for commitments ranging from using sustainable packing materials to eyeing net zero emissions within operations and each of these ideas starts in an office.
The office space is full of environmental micro-aggressions from reams of wasted paper to overflowing outlets sucking up passive energy. Your workspace is a great place to leverage the collective camaraderie of your coworkers to do better together and hold each other accountable.
Although large-scale measures to reduce an environmental footprint are necessary, the reality is that change needs to happen on an individual level and what better place to start than where the pen meets the paper- literally. It’s a valiant task to lead the sustainability charge in any space, but even more so in an office environment where life is all about quick turnarounds and naturally the nemesis of environmentalism: convenience.
We’ll break down how to bring sustainability into the office and avoid the groans of your coworkers in the process.
What Are The Biggest Earth Offenders In Your Office?
To make lasting changes in your communal working space, take targeted actions against the biggest offenders.
The Printing Station
Easily the biggest offender of the lot, printing paper and ink leave big carbon footprints. To alleviate their negative impact, push for a switch to recycled paper which will result in a 35% reduction in water use and 75% less air pollution involved in virgin paper production, or better yet go paperless!
In addition, switching to reusable ink cartridges and petrol-free ink types (hello, algae ink!) can reduce net carbon emissions by 200%.
Cut The Coffee Cups
The average office worker will use up to 500 coffee cups per year, most of which will end up in landfills due to their wax of plastic linings. Set up a reusable coffee cup station to give the landfills a break.
Let There Be (Better) Light!
Making the switch to LED lighting can mean fewer used bulbs and less energy drawn across the board.
Unplug It
Passive energy drawn from technology left on the charger after they are topped up or other equipment and appliances creates a micro energy sapping effect multiplied across cubicles that draws excess electricity which requires more of our precious natural resources to create.
Choose Sustainable Suppliers
Offices are full of single-use waste from post-it notes to pens. Whenever possible choose suppliers that are making efforts to make sustainable office supplies like pens with bamboo outer casings or stapleless staplers.
How To Lead The Charge To Bring Sustainability Into Your Office
Sneak it in: set the printer to automatically print on two sides.
Avoid it: set policies that don’t allow certain items (we’re looking at your virgin printing paper!) to be purchased in the first place.
Set up a Green Team: create an internal team of organizers tasked with launching a campaign to lessen your office’s environmental footprint. Make it fun with occasional contests along the way.
Make it easy: set up recycling stations in several places to make it convenient.
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