by Ruth Belena

Created on: July 19, 2008

It is not difficult to make a place of work more ecologically friendly.

[1] Conserve Fuel

Consumption should be limited to essential use. Conference calls or video conferencing will reduce the need for business people to travel to meetings.

Some people can work from home on the desktop or laptop computer, and workers who live in the same area should share cars when commuting, rather than each driving their own car to work.

Company vehicles should only be bought or hired if they are fuel efficient or electric powered. A company car or truck should be carefully chosen to suit its purpose, with minimum fuel consumption in mind.

[2] Conserve Energy

All workplaces need electricity, but most companies can make huge savings in power consumption.

Computers should be turned off at the end of the working day.

Low energy lighting and equipment should be installed.

Heating and air conditioning should not be operating at their highest settings. Workplaces should be warm in winter, cool in summer, but never so hot that employees wear short sleeves to work in winter, or so cold they need extra clothing in summer.

Most offices do not need to be lit, air-conditioned or heated during the night, so all these systems should be shut down or switched off when they are not needed.

Businesses should think of installing solar panels or wind turbines at the workplace. Even the smallest home office could benefit from using a solar powered battery recharger.

[3] Reduce Water Consumption

Any leaks, overflows or broken pipes should be attended to as early as possible and not left or ignored for long periods of time.

Big businesses should install water-saving systems, which can collect rainwater or use recycled water in manufacturing processes.

[4] Reduce Paper Usage

It is not necessary to print out all emails and reports. Some documents will need to be produced in printed form, but backing up files and keeping duplicate copies electronically is better than printing everything.

Printed communications should be kept to a minimum and should only be printed on recycled paper, or paper purchased from ethical manufacturers who only use sustainable forest trees.

[5] Recycle waste

All paper, cardboard, glass, and other recyclable products must be collected and sent for recycling.

Ink cartridges, old cell phones, used laptops and computers can be donated to charities which will make good use of them.

All dangerous waste and any harmful substances must be disposed of safely and legally.

Please be kind to the environment and make an extra effort to conserve resources in the workplace.

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