There are a number of reasons to make sure the office you work in is operating as eco-friendly as possible; most people are aware of the impact of rubbish on hugely overfull landfill sites and recently it has been proven by psychologists that people enjoy working in an office with schemes where they can participate in recycling or contribute to eco-conscious tasks.  The initiatives and incentives take very little time to set-up and if made part of a team co-operation, then it also acts as a team building exercise to.  Here are some tips to get things started:

1)     Energy Efficiency:  Initiate this by asking staff to turn off their computers, printers and other electrical items at night time.  Most people leave these appliances in stand-by and this is a waste of energy.  Nominate someone to also undertake an energy efficiency survey and speak to the Office Manager to see if you are using a green energy supplier with a renewable tariff.

2)     Recycling:  Ask staff to set up desktop paper saving trays, so waste paper can be used for notepads.  Set up designated and clearly marked bins, so any plastic from vending machines, plastic magazine wrapping and packaging, along with aluminium cans, printer and fax cartridges and fluorescent light bulbs can be recycled.

3)     Environmentally Conscious Office Supplies: Get someone to do an audit around the office and see if there are areas where changes can be made to make items greener.  Things to consider are changing paper from virgin pulp to recycled, biodegradable cups and plates, recycled toilet paper and paper towels.  Of course you may want to consider putting in heated hand dryers to minimise paper usage in this area.  Where possible, buy printers with a double-sided printing option built in, so non-essential documentation can be printed with less paper usage.

4)     Greener Chemicals: Have a chat with the person responsible for buying in janitorial supplies used in the kitchen and bathroom areas and ask them to swap over onto recognised eco-friendly ones.

5)     Others to Consider:  Sourcing kitchen buckets for staff to place food waste and scraps into, so this can both be collected and recycled or for a designated member of staff to take home and compost.  Try and set up water saving devices around the office and finally ask staff to consider cycling, walking, sharing transport or taking public transport into work.

Most staff members welcome positive changes as they want to continue to maintain and help the environment of the planet.  Consider at the end of the year making a report to show staff how much of an impact all their good work has actually had by estimating energy savings and demonstrating how many cups have been bought over the year, which are now quietly degrading somewhere.  You may even want to set up an incentive scheme for the person who achieves the highest amount of recycling over the year or for the person who manages to think of a new way of being eco-friendly in the office.