How to Have a Green Office

A truly green office is a rare thing. Most office buildings carry a pretty hefty carbon footprint- from paper waste to exorbitant utility usage to all the soda cans office workers dump in the trash each day. Most offices are a source of pollution, landfill expansions and resource waste. Most of the environmental problems surrounding office buildings have an easy fix and even one worker can take a few steps in the right direction.

How to Have a Green Office

Reduce

An average office working in the United States will use 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year and two pounds of paper products a day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The next time you go to print something, stop and think about it. Do you really need a hard copy of that email? Chances are, you can leave most of your business documents safely on your computer without the need for printing. If you do have to print, print double sided and save the paper to use later on for scrap.

Recycle

Recycling reduces landfills and conserves resources. In 2009, Americans recycled around 60 percent of the paper they consumed and around 51 percent of all the aluminum soda cans they drank, according to the EPA. Those numbers could rise even higher if you create a green office. Place recycling bins in the break room near the vending machines and around printing stations or copy machines. You can also place a small box under your desk to catch all the paper you normally discard in a day.

Cut Down on Energy Consumption

When most workers leave their office for the day, they simply shut off the computer screen or put the machine to sleep. Even running on standby, a computer will still suck electricity throughout the night. Before you leave for the day, or even just for a long lunch, shut your computer down completely. You can also place all the electronic equipment in your office on a smart strip. Electronic equipment continues to pull energy, known as vampire electricity, even when it is shut off. A smart strip cuts the electronic equipment off at the source and prevents it from draining power it doesn't need.

Cut Down on Your Water Usage

For a truly green office, you'll need to look at your water consumption as well. Throughout the day, workers make quite a few trips use the break room sink and the bathroom faucets. While you can't tell everyone to stop using water, you can install water aerators on any faucets around the office. Water aerators restrict the flow of water coming from the tap and add a flow of oxygen- the result, less water usage with the same effectiveness. Install a water aerator and you'll save around 50 percent of the faucet's normal water use, according to Eartheasy.

Paper Recycling Facts and Figures, EPA.
Aluminum, EPA.
Low Flow Aerators, Eartheasy.