Green Workplace

Why is a green workplace important? At work, it’s easy to fall into the belief that you have no control over the climate impact of your entire office. On the contrary: each individual can spark a few changes that reduce collective greenhouse gas emissions. To avoid a tragedy of the commons, make changes to your own habits and suggest that your co-workers do the same.

Here are ways to reduce your carbon emissions at work:

Drink organic or shade-grown coffee.

In 2005, each American consumed, on average, 24.2 gallons of coffee, only 2% of which was organic. Switching to organically farmed coffee avoids the use of industrial chemicals that produce greenhouse emissions in their manufacturing and transportation processes.
Shade-grown coffee is grown under a canopy of trees, preserving forests and allowing trees to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and store it as biomass. In addition, coffee grown in the midst of its native, natural ecosystem greatly reduces the need for artificial pesticides and fertilizers. Instead, plants and animals carry out the services rendered by these chemicals.

Reduce Waste.

For coffee consumption, use and reuse ceramic or metal mugs instead of paper or Styrofoam cups. Also, avoid disposable paper coffee filters. Stainless steel or gold plated reusable filters work just as well and are not difficult to clean.
Reduce paper consumption by printing double-sided, limiting computer print-outs, and using old paper for jotting notes and memos. Recycle the paper you used and buy recycled paper to print on. Here are tips for a paper reduction campaign. Non-recyclable paper can be shredded and used as a packing material.
Use a USB drive to transport files rather than burning them to one-use CDs.

Start an office-wide recycling program for bottles and cans.

Set up a labeled bin in the office kitchen.

Replace aging CRT monitors and desktop computers with LED flat screens.

New LED (flat screen) monitors offer a high performance picture, save space, generate almost no heat (which is wasted energy that requires air conditioning to remove), and use 50 to 70% less power.
LED monitors don’t require screen savers. A CRT screen does (unless you opt to have it shut-off when left unused) and can draw a whopping 280 watts per hour in the process. Even on an LED model, running a screen saver program causes both the monitor and the processor to remain active and therefore uses significantly more energy than simply letting the screen dim or shut off.
Be sure to properly dispose of those old CRT monitors. On average, each one contains 4 to 5 pounds of lead along with other heavy metals and toxic substances. Contact a local recycler such as Turtle Wings for more information on how to safely dispose of these units and be sure to not simply throw them in the trash.

Switch from desktop computers to laptops.

Laptops have their LED screen built right in. Additionally, laptop designers, in their quest to extend battery life, consciously design these machines to use power as efficiently as possible. Typically, a laptop will use at least 50% less power than a desktop. For more information click here.

Try telecommuting or ride a bike to work whenever possible.

Many corporations find that their employees are happier and more productive when given the freedom to carry out their business at non-standard times and locations. The office spaces of these companies, no longer burdened with having to concurrently house the entire workforce, can be reduced in size and therefore produce savings in both real-estate costs and utilities. Flexible scheduling also cuts down on the energy and emissions associated with needless commuting (especially during rush-hours).
If telecommuting doesn’t make sense for your workplace, be sure to take low-emission transportation to work. Ride your bike, carpool, drive a hybrid car, or use public buses and metros. In many cities, you can join a car share network and in Washington, DC you can join a bike share network.