Most of us do this at home by recycling what we can, to reduce what we send to landfill and improving our driving so we use less fuel etc. When it comes to being vigilant at work, however, there are things that we could all be doing to help to reduce the carbon footprint.
The activity that creates the most carbon emissions is our commute to and from work. While, for some, the only way to get to our place of employment is by car, if you are able to organise a car share then this will help reduce the emissions going in to the environment. If you don’t live too far away from where you work, walking or cycling are options you may consider thus totally eliminating the emissions produced.
Other easy things to do are to ensure that the power is switched off at the wall and that any electrical items are off when not in use. If there’s no one in a room make sure the lights are off and when making tea only boil as much water as you need. Basically, any good habits that you do at home, bring them to the workplace!
When you print, only do so if necessary and any paper that is waste, recycle or reuse it! Some pieces of paper just have a few lines printed on them so reuse them to make notes on then when you no longer need it, put it for recycling. If you use plastic cups then try and bring in glasses/cups or ask for them to be provided for you to save waste, recycle anything and everything that you can and only print when you need to. All of these will help to reduce the carbon footprint of your office.
Lastly, when buying new stationary, printers, cartridges and paper go for the recycled options! Most, if not all, stationers now offer the option of having stock that has been recycled and recreated to something new so go for these options when ordering.
It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that we do our bit for the environment so next time you place an order, try the recycled option available from London Counties Office Supplies.
