Top 10 Tips to Green Your Workplace

You recycle at work and turn off your office lights when you go home. You’d like to do more to green your workplace but in this economy you don’t think your boss would approve any expensive green projects. What more could you do that would cost little to no money up front?

Here are several ideas to green your workplace that would yield a one year or better return on investment.

Switch to remanufactured laser jet cartridges – They cost about half as much as new ones and save a gallon of oil for each one that is refilled and reused three times. The quality of remanufactured laser jet cartridges is high because remanufacturers simply replace moving parts, fill the cartridge with new toner and plug the hole.

Delamp – In overlit offices, removing two out of four fluorescent tubes per fixture often still provides sufficient light for deskwork.

Motion sensors – Install these in common areas like breakrooms, conference rooms and bathrooms so lights are not left on all night.

Power management software – Many Information Technology departments ask employees to leave their computers on at night so IT can install security patches after employees leave. Power management and security patch software work through the computer network to power down all computers at the end of the day, bring up all computers when IT wants to install security patches, and then powers them all back down when IT is done. The return on investment is generally three to six months.

Mugs for everyone – Find out how much your company is spending on disposable plates, cups and utensils each year. The number invariably surprises people. Either visit a local thrift store and pick up some very cheap and mismatched washable plates, mugs and utensils, or buy sets at Ikea. The payback will probably be a few months.

Heating and air conditioning settings – Match up the hours most people work with the time that the heating and air conditioner system is set to 68 - 72 degrees. Often, the time most people are actually in the office spans 10 hours throughout the day while the air handling system maintains the temperature comfort zone for 18 to 24 hours/day.

Expand recycling – To figure out where to focus expanded recycling efforts, peek in your trash dumpsters. Whatever you see most of, usually cardboard and paper, is what you need more bins and signs to successfully divert.

Reduce paper use – Promote electronic document sharing and double-sided printing, when a hard copy document is absolutely necessary, to reduce your office’s paper purchasing costs.

High-efficiency toilets – The latest toilets are either 1) high-efficiency and use only 1.28 gallons of water per flush or 2) dual flush with 0.6 gallon and 1.6 gallon flush options. 

Green cleaning service – The latest janitorial services trend is to have cleaning teams with four specialists using non-hazardous cleaning products who clean one floor at a time together and then turn off the lights before they move to the next area.

If you have been wanting to move into a sustainability coordinator position, implementing these 10 projects could keep you busy for a year. Plus the savings from these projects could fund your salary for a year.

Which of these 10 ideas have you already done at your workplace and which do you plan to implement?