The inclusion of this one has caused somewhat of a debate in the office. On the one hand it seems so elementary that surely everyone should be doing it already, but then again, any late night trip through London’s square mile is brightened wonderfully by the wasted shine of lights illuminating hundreds of empty offices. Turn lights off when they’re not in use, along with computers and other electrical items. Take simple steps like hooking up equipment (computer, desk lamps, printer, and external hard drive) to one power strip that can be turned off easily at the end of the day. Set all office computers to turn off automatically at a certain time each night, just in case anyone forgot.
How much paper does your office throw away? Everyone knows that you need to recycle your waste, but what about the other end? do you really need to use virgin paper? Why not switch to 100% recycled paper, and get your staff to print office paperwork on both sides. Place paper recycling bins in convenient locations, like right next to copiers and mail boxes. Keep clearly labeled bins in several central locations such as break rooms. Basically, anywhere and everywhere there is a trash can, there should be a recycling bin. Are you using disposable cups and cutlery when the real thing will do?
What do you do with your old computing equipment when you’re done with it? Why not head over to DonateAPC.org.uk when you get new ones so you can pass it on to someone who needs it. It’s not just for computers, either. Need some shelves for your office and don’t have a budget for new furnishings? ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ goes the saying, and nowhere is this more true than at www.freecycle.org.
Need some shelves for your office and don’t have a budget for new furnishings? You could even organize and host an office-wide or public barter party, where everyone brings items they don’t use any more to swap for things they might need from others. Also, keep in mind, if you have useful furnishings or equipment from renovations or upgrades, list it on freecycle or donate it to a charity that may need it.
The office water cooler may be a great place for staff to congregate, but it’s expensive and pretty poor for the environment. fit a filter to a tap for less than the spare change residing in your pocket right now, or if you really want to push the boat out, keep a few bottles with filters attached in the fridge so the water is cold. check out http://www.brita.net/uk for some ideas.
Being educated with the right facts is the best way to get everyone united in the right direction. You can learn more to make your business more sustainable and how it can impact your operation’s bottom line. And the only way to make progress is to know where you’re headed. Keep up with environmental news and green business trends to identify areas you can improve on. Share news and tips with your co-workers, employees, and clients.Keep your staff up to date with the ethical changes you’re making, and get staff to contribute ideas and solutions. Without people on board throughout every level of the company, you are facing an uphill battle.
It takes 17 trees to make a ton of paper. That means nearly 100 million trees get used for junk mail every year in Europe alone. Reducing junk mail gets clutter out of your mailbox, frees up your time, and helps protect the environment. To keep the trees in the forest and the junk mail out of your office, there is something you can do about it. There are free services out there that will remove you from mailing lists, such as Green Dimes (http://greendimes.typepad.com/), and Earth Class Mail (www.earthclassmail.com),
The consequences of ensuring that your staff eat well and live healthily are obvious in both business and CSR terms, and simple things like eating less meat has a big effect on your carbon footprint.
For ideas, check out Business in the Community’s excellent healthy eating toolkit www.bitc.org.uk/resources/publications/healthy_eating.html
Help your colleagues set up car pools or better yet, get involved with a cycle to work scheme and help your employees save money on bicycles. Check out www.cyclescheme.co.uk for more information.
Heating and cooling are the cause of up to half the energy use in the average office, so any efficiency gained will be a large impact. One of the largest inefficiencies here is managing temperatures. Ideally, temperatures should be adjusted (down for winter, up for summer) when no one will notice. A change of just two degrees during off hours will reap huge financial and environmental benefits. All you need is a programmable thermostat. Also, next time you use the hot tap at the sink, is it too hot to use without the cold tap running too? If so, it's too hot. Turn the boiler down, save some energy.
Ok, I admit this is a shameless plug, but it’s true; the LeapCR platform doesn’t cost the earth but has been proven to increase employee happiness which results in higher performance, which in turn results in profit increases. The minimal CSR outlay is an investment that results in measurable returns in productivity, looks great on your annual report and
Tagged in <a href="/blog/tagged-with/top%2010">top 10</a>, <a href="/blog/tagged-with/CSR">CSR</a>, <a href="/blog/tagged-with/Sustainability">Sustainability</a>
