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This week’s blog comes from:
Dale Carnegie Training Newsletter
By Anita Zinsmeister, President — anita.zinsmeister@dalecarnegie.com
Dale Carnegie® Training of Central & Southern New Jersey
Make Your Office A Mean Green Machine.
Making your office greener does not have to be a daunting prospect; there are countless small measures you can take to make your workplace run a lot more efficiently. Below you will find 7 great tips on how you can make your office a lot greener.
Here are seven Tips To Make Your Office More Green:
1. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle – Ensure that your company has multiple trashcans for recycling various materials other than paper. For example, make sure that there is a recycle bin for glass and plastic and that everyone knows where it is. Also ensure that the different bins are clearly labeled so there is no cross contamination.
2. Reduce Your Paper Trail – Only print what is absolutely necessary. And, if you can, consider printing things double sided to save paper. Also consider switching to recycled printer paper. And, of course, recycle all used paper when you are finished with it.
3. Lights Out – When you do not need them, make sure that you turn off all electronics, such as printers, scanners, and lights. Also make sure that everything is turned off at the end of the day. This is, obviously, better for the environment as well as your wallet since you do not have to pay for unnecessary electricity. Consider also having everyone plug their electronics into a power strip so that at the end of the day they just simply have to switch off the strip.
4. Consider Telecommuting – Telecommuting is becoming more and more popular with companies; it can be a win-win since staff members enjoy saving money and gas on commuting (eliminating carbon emissions), while the company will save a little money as well since it will not have to pay the electricity to run its staff member’s computers, lights, etc. Even if you can only offer 1 day a week, it could still be a great idea.
5. Motion Sensors – Motion sensors can be a great way to save some green. You can install them on the lights at your company. This way you are not wasting unnecessary money and electricity lighting a room with no one in it.
6. Bring In Some Green – Consider bringing more plants into the office. Not only will they brighten up the space, but they will also help filter the air you breathe. Plants literally filter pollutants out of the air and release oxygen.
7. See The Light – If you can, make the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs or LEDs with an energy star rating. Even though they can be more expensive up front, these bulbs use about 75 percent less energy and typically last about 10 times as long as traditional bulbs.
Executive Summary: The environment is definitely in need of some TLC. Besides doing what you can at home, it is a natural extension to go green at the office as well. You do not need to take drastic measures. Going green could help build office pride among your staff, and also improve your company’s bottom line. So what are you waiting for?
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