Everywhere you look, there is a new eco-friendly product or initiative. Green recycling containers are popping up on every street corner, and some city busses are now powered by electricity. There are even eco-friendly soaps and organic t-shirts.
The responsible thing to do is to join the green trend and start looking for ways to turn your office into an eco-friendly environment. Here are three eco-friendly ideas that will get you and your staff moving toward a cleaner, greener workplace.
Eco-Friendly Suppliers
If you want your organization to be more eco-friendly, start by making partnerships with eco-friendly suppliers. This means using eco-friendly paper products, office supplies, and even switching to eco-friendly organic fabrics for employee uniforms. These products are easy to find today, and they are priced affordably so that you can transform your office into a more eco-friendly environment.
Go Paperless
Many organizations have found ways to eliminate paper processing with online billing and other types of electronic forms. These are relatively easy to develop with the help of an IT professional. Microsoft Word also provides a variety of templates that may be useful for your small business. There are even copy machines that can create a .pdf file and email documents to a designated address.
With the word paperless, we mean no Post-It Notes, memos, or “while you were out” messages. Email is a great tool, and you should encourage your employees to use it. Rather than leaving a note on someone’s desk, send an email.
Telecommuting
Do you have staff members who are dedicated, driven, and require little to no supervision? These high-performing employees may be prime candidate for telecommuting. Allowing employees to work from home on certain days of the week will cut down on the expenditure of fuel. Research also shows that employees are 30% more productive when they work at home. There are fewer distractions and less interruptions at home than in the office. You can reward your high-performing staff with work at home privileges while simultaneously helping to reduce the carbon footprint of your staff.
These are just a few of many simple steps that you can take to make your working environment more eco-friendly. Going green isn’t just a fad or a trend; it is the responsible thing to do.
