TIPS FOR A GREEN OFFICE
Make The Difference In Your Office Today
UKOS PLC and the Hertfordshire Resource Efficiency Club have produced a ten point guide to assist companies and individuals reduce their carbon output.
All companies and individuals have a responsibility to use resources considerately and to understand that even a small number of changes to their daily routines can have a large impact on the environmental consequences of their activities.
As a quick and easy guide UKOS PLC and the Hertfordshire Resource Efficiency Club are promoting the concept of the 3Rs.
- Reduce the Resources You Use
- Reuse Resources As Much As Possible
- Recycle As And When You Can
On a practical level UKOS PLC and the Hertfordshire Resource Efficiency Club recommend the following ten action points:
1) Look at your paper use:
- Does it really need printing?
- If it does, print 2-sided where possible.
- Use scrap paper for message pads and reuse envelopes for internal communication.
- Cancel publications and consider cutting junk with the Mailing Preference Service.
- Recycle whatever’s left and motivate your colleagues by keeping them informed on progress
2) Buy Smart:
- Choose Energy-efficient devices –look for labels such as the EU Energy label
- Consider all the impacts your purchases (e.g. printer cartridges, plastic cups, refills & sachets)
- Change tungsten bulbs to energy-efficient, compact fluorescent lamps and slimline tubes
3) Buy products with high recycled material content.
4) Control that stationary cupboard! Hold an annual stationary amnesty and you may be surprised at the amount of materials returned for re-use.
5) Turn down the heat:
- Manage heating and cooling with timers and sensor controls and correct rather than overriding.
- Turn off in empty rooms, making sure they are well ventilated to prevent condensation and mould.
- Set a gap or ‘dead band’ between heating and air conditioning control temperatures of about five degrees to avoid them operating at the same time.
5) Investigate taking all, or a percentage, of your energy from renewable sources or ‘green tariffs’.
6) Don’t dump unwanted office furniture in the skip, pass it on using a materials exchange scheme such as the Materials Exchange For East England.
7) Run a Switch-off campaign. Make sure equipment is turned off out of office hours wherever possible, turn off monitors when away from your desk and it is always cheaper to switch off lights, however short the time period.
8) Reduce vehicle use (e.g. by home-working, car sharing), use public transport wherever possible and provide incentives to do so (how about interest-free loans for public transport season tickets?). See TravelWise for further advice.
9) Wasting water? Report leaks & drips for fixing. Fit controllers on urinals systems to ensure that cisterns flush only during office hours. If refurbishing, consider waterless urinals and push-button taps.
10) And finally, make use of the resources and information guides that organisations such as Envirowise and the Carbon Trust offer both online and offline.
To learn more about how you or your company can help the environment and reduce carbon emissions contact UKOS, the UK Office Stationery Company aiming to make a difference.
