How to make your office more sustainable today?

Sustainable living doesn’t have to be limited to your home; in fact, since we spend a major chunk of our day at work, it is necessary to make our office spaces sustainable. Whether you are a concerned employee or a responsible boss, here are eight tips to help you get started:

1.      Replace Conventional Lights with LED bulbs[1]

To ensure that you save energy and money, you should swap fluorescent lights out for LED light bulbs. These lights use around 75% less energy and have a longer lifespan than their conventional counterparts.[2] LED lights are also free of hazardous substances like mercury, which makes disposing of them easier. They also produce zero UV emissions and can operate on low voltages.

2.      Set up a composting station

This can be especially useful if you have a fully functional kitchen because then you will have a lot of organic waste. The compost can be added to the soil in your office’s plants, so as to promote their healthy growth.

3.      Encourage a green commute[3]

Using a private vehicle to travel to and from work produces harmful gas emissions for the environment. In addition, a large portion of the city traffic and road congestion that frequently disrupt workdays is caused by private vehicles. You should encourage your staff or coworkers to take public transportation or carpool to work. The office should also have parking arrangement for cycles and electric bikes, so as to make it easy for the employees to use innovative ways of commuting.

4.      Choose reusable products

It could be time for an upgrade if your office pantry is stocked with a wide variety of throwaway goods. You might not want to add to the large amount of disposable utensils that are discovered floating away in various bodies of water. Instead, make every effort to use reusable items, especially when eating in the workplace. Get rid of all your single use plastic cutlery and switch to plastic and steel alternatives. Give all your employees reusable cups with their names on them, so that they don’t feel a need to bring in disposable plastics.

5.      Eliminate use of paper

This sounds like a no-brainer, however achieving this is much difficult specially in organizations which still have older employees who have grown up using paper in office. One way to do this is to have less paper and fewer printers available in the office for use. This will help some employees to let go of their habit of using hard copies.

6.      Limit Cooling and Heating[4]

The workplace may be too humid for some employees while it may be too cool for others. Only by attempting to reduce your office's thermostat's cooling and heating can you strike a balance and save electricity.

7.      Vegetarian Meals

Consumption of meat and dairy is harmful for our planet, especially the animals. By promoting vegetarian and vegan menus in your cafeteria, you will help all your co-workers move away from their meat-based diets and towards a healthier lifestyle.

8.      Promote Recycling

Whether it is about choosing artwork for your lobby area or toilet paper for your washrooms, always prefer recycled options. You can also sell your paper waste to a recycling company and earn money while managing your waste effectively.

Final Word

How much support you are able to garner from your coworkers and employees will determine how beneficial these adjustments are. Therefore, as a first step, we advise that you strive to convey the significance of sustainability to your coworkers. We can establish a sustainable workspace for everyone if the entire team joins in!