OSEA Safety Blog

Five Easy Ways to go Green at the Office this St. Patrick's Day

Thursday, March 7, 2019 Brenda Griffin

Wearing green is one thing, and working green is quite another. Why not do both this St. Patrick’s day by assessing where you are with your green office practices this year.

1 Reduce or eliminate your paper usage. How? Try these ideas:

  • Print on both sides of paper.
  • Make your own message and note stacks by cutting used paper into quadrants to have at the ready.
  • Recycle every scrap that you might otherwise throw away.
  • Just don’t print – go paperless, at least one day a week and use file sharing whenever possible.

  1. Reduce electricity usage. How? Try these ideas:
  • Turn the lights off and opt for natural light when possible. “Artificial lighting accounts for 44% of the electricity use in office buildings,” according to the Sierra Club!
  • Turn off electrical appliances when not in use.
  • Put your computer in sleep mode when not at your desk
  • Plug electronics into power strips which you can easily turn off at the end of the day.

  1. Rethink your ride to cut down on gas usage and carbon emissions. How? Look into these options:
  • Telecommute whenever possible.
  • Car pool or take public transportation.
  • Walk or ride your bike if possible.

  1. Revamp your food and beverage practices. How?
  • Pack lunches, and in reusable containers.
  • Refill a water bottle rather than continuing to purchase bottled water.
  • Compost food waste and coffee grounds to feed your office plants.
  • Recycle any purchased beverage containers.
  • Opt for paper bags over plastic at the store, better yet, byob (bring your own bag!)

  1. Green up office supplies and practices. How?
  • Hang onto boxes and packaging peanuts for next time.
  • Right-size boxes to reduce the need for additional packing materials.
  • Buy recycled office supplies and paper whenever possible.
  • Reuse old file folders.

The future is not set, there is no fate but what we make for ourselves.
― Irish proverb

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