CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/17354
We spend huge chunks of our time at work, maybe (sadly) even more time than we spend at home. Going green at work can have a huge impact on our environment. Some simple changes will save energy and resources — money, too — at the office. Better still, when co-workers catch the green bug and adopt these same habits, the impact increases exponentially. 1. Stay bright about light Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity used in office buildings. GOING GREEN AT THE CLICK OF YOUR MOUSE View and pay your bills online to save time and paper. Plan your route online before leaving to run errands and you’ll save gas and time. www.route4me.com Pay for your kids’ school lunches online at www.lunchprepay.com. You’ll save yourself a check or a trip to the school to drop off lunch money. Save gas, money and grocery cart space by signing up for regular deliveries of bulky items like toilet paper, paper towels — and many more — from www.Amazon. com’s Subscribe & Save program. Bonus: Join the Amazon Mom club and you’ll get even greater savings on frequently used parent- friendly products like diapers. 40 | Oct/Nov • 2010 Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you’re leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can. Also, purchase Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures, which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting. Even better, install timers or motion sensors to automatically shut off lights when they’re not needed. 2. Maximize computer efficiency Computers in the business sector generate $1 billion worth of electricity waste a year. Don’t burn energy when you’re burning the midnight oil. Make it a habit to turn off your computer — and the power strip it’s plugged into — when you leave for the day. (You should first find out when the computer gurus perform backups.) During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Myth: Screen savers save energy; they don’t. 3. Every little trip adds up When traveling on business, consider if it’s possible to take the train, bus, or subway instead of a rental car? Note: Some rental agencies now offer hybrids and other high- mileage vehicles. Also, consider if travel is even necessary or if video-conferencing and other technological solutions be used instead. 4. Go paperless when possible Think before you print: Could this be read or stored online instead? When you receive unwanted catalogs, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item. Post employee manuals and similar materials online and consider emailing memos, rather than distributing print copies. They’re easier to update that way, too. 5. Recycling made easy Make it a habit to recycle everything your company collects. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled, and don’t forget to recycle old cell phones, PDAs and pagers. Remember, location, location, location: Recycling bins should be in accessible, high- traffic areas and have specific guidance posted on the containers about what can and can not be recycled.