6 Steps to a Sustainable Office

Offices are riddled with more than just complicated relationships between coworkers. If you take one step into many office spaces you will likely find that paper and plastic are as common as hushed whispers behind cubicles. The facility is often powered by electricity and on a warm day, the air conditioning hums through all corners of the building. Can you say waste?

It comes as no surprises that offices are in need of some help incorporating environmentally friendly practices. The good news is that proper measures can be taken to create a sustainable office. In order to enhance sustainable behaviors in the office space, all employees must have a desire to make a long-term commitment to be environmentally friendly. 

Does your office have a willingness to change? These 6 easy steps can be taken to create a sustainable, eco-friendly workspace.

Step 1: Form a Committee 

Form a committee made up of office members who are passionate about making the workplace more environmentally friendly. The members of this committee can be in charge of identifying areas in the office that may benefit from sustainable practices. Committee participants can establish new norms, create progress checkpoints, and work to educate other members of the work community about ways to conserve and recycle.

As an added bonus, coming together as a community to work together towards a common goal can help to facilitate team building which leads to improved business practices.

Step 2: Carpool

Look out into the parking lot outside your office. How many cars do you see? Unless you live in a city with excellent options for public transportation it is likely that nearly everyone who works in your office drives their own vehicle to work. Setting up an office carpool fosters closer relationships between employees and reduces the demand for oil. Carpooling also helps the planet by decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Step 3: Reduce Waste

Identify the most common sources of waste and seek to eliminate or reduce them! Do you use a lot of paper? Go paperless or make double-sided copies! Is there a lot of food in the waste bin? Start a compost pile outside the office! It will give you a good excuse to step outside during the busy workday. If you are feeling extra bold, set a goal for zero waste!

Step 4: Recycle

If producing zero waste is not realistic for your office then reuse and recycle! Set up designated recycling bins for different materials. You should have a separate bin or compartment for each waste stream, i.e. paper & cardboard, glass & plastic, and food waste. There should be bins on each floor of the office. Do not forget a paper bin in the copy room!

Step 5: Reduce Electricity Usage

Offices are powered by electricity. Elevators carry employees between floors, lights illuminate desks, computers are plugged into outlets, and fluctuations in temperature turn the air conditioning on and off. So, what steps can you take to cut down a widely used resource such as electricity?

There are solutions both large and small. For a simple solution, you can make sure that the lights are off when rooms are empty. You can also take a look at how your office is rearranged. Can you organize the room to allow for more natural lighting? For a more complex long-term solution, find out if solar panels are in the budget. If they are, get a quote and see if you can make your workplace run off of the power of the sun. 

Step 6: Create a Sustainable Office Cafeteria

Consider coming together as an office to create a sustainable cafeteria at work! Such a cafeteria could work to eliminate the use of brown paper bags and plastic wrappers! It can also serve as a nice way to get to know your coworkers by having a place to come together and eat! What better way is there to come together then by sitting down and breaking some bread?

Food should be fresh, locally sourced, and organic. Mason jars and glass can be used to serve and transport the food, instead of bulky cardboard and plastic trays. 

By following these steps, your businesses’ overall result could be a large reduction in waste, healthier eating, and closer relationships amongst co-workers.