Maybe you go green at home but did you know there are a ton of simple eco friendly changes you can make at work? Small changes can have a huge impact spread across an entire office. You can save money, save waste, and feel a little bit better at the end of the day.
Offer your clients non-disposable water and coffee options
Offer your clients a branded, stainless steel water cup or bottle instead of plastic water bottles. It brands you and saves on wasted plastic. Or, offer ceramic or glass cups and a refill station. Aside from saving all that bottle and cup waste, it’s much more inviting and comfortable.
Use durable, reusable trade show displays (say no to plastic or cardboard throwaways)
What could be easier than having a reliable trade show kit that you can ship or even take with you on the plane? Even better, you can choose eco friendly recyclable materials for standing banners and companies like Greenerprinter will even take back your stands to print you new banners. If your printed trade show banners have reached the end of their life, they can most-likely be recycled. Tyvek, polypropylene and HDPE can all be recycled. Reusable AND recyclable are the best match!
Make bikes welcome at work
Provide a place to store and somewhere for commuters to clean up and change. The exercise from biking to and from work helps clear your mind and shifts gears (pun intended) from home life to work life and back again.
Consider your cutlery
Rather than plasticware, use eco friendly compostable cutlery like those made of bamboo or compressed plant starch. Or, if you have a dishwasher in your break room, provide cutlery that can easily be washed. You’ll probably have to define clear rules about washing dishes, but you’ll also be saving a ton of money on purchasing new cutlery on a regular basis. Don’t forget you’ll also reduce the crazy amount of waste that all that plasticware produced.
Throw in the disposable towel
Use a towel service rather than paper towels. Real towels dry hands better (and feel better). Every time I encounter real cloth towels in an office or waiting room bathroom, I wonder why we don’t do this more. It always has an added touch of niceness and makes me feel extra fancy schmancy. Hint: You might need to search for “gym towel service”
Unplug it (or flip the switch)
We can be smarter about how we plug in to get powered and charged. Devote one power strip with a switch in your office to chargers. At the end of each day, flip the switch on the strip. You’ll keep from useless charger drain. Better yet, if you’re computers don’t need to be on for server backup or another IT reason, connect everything to a power strip with a switch. Then, get in the habit of switching it all off before you leave.
Consider the products you sell, the vendors you use, the contractors you work with
Do they “make sense” with your objectives? Like in every relationship, don’t cut corners—you deserve the best! Working with those who share your value systems and supporting like-minded vendors, suppliers, and contractors not only makes you happy to work with them, it supports businesses you WANT to exist and creates a growing community of value-driven services. Are you a local yoga studio focused on healing the planet but you’re selling poorly-made plastic water bottles manufactured who-knows-where? Get aligned by seeking out the right products for you, not just any old promotional item. A value-driven company like Steady Glow Digital not only has great eco friendly suggestions for marketing options but can clarify your message so more people know about you!
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