4 Ways to Make Your Office Spaces More Environment Friendly The benefits that organisations experience by investing in eco-friendly practices are difficult to ignore. Here are four ways to make your office more environmentally friendly.
By Kavya Pillai
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In our recent conversation with Environmental Activist and Climate Optimist Aakash Ranison, he shed some light on creating a healthier workplace that doesn't require as much change to business practices as one might think. Ranison spoke about how often the word sustainability is thrown around by brands who are using it as a tactic to greenwash their work. "Sustainability is a leader, it is not a final stage. You keep climbing and being more sustainable as time goes by," he said. He further enlightened us on ways to encourage having an environmental consciousness.
In today's day and age, both young professionals and experienced employees are looking for more meaning in their work, and creating an eco-friendly office culture helps bring that meaning. Ranison explained that one of the simplest and best ways to make your office space more green is by "switching to a renewable energy source". Even if you already have a robust corporate environmental program, getting your employees on board with your green workplace initiatives can make a huge difference in your program's success.
According to the World Health Organization definition, a healthy workplace is one in which workers and managers collaborate to use a continual improvement process to protect and promote the health, safety, and well-being of all workers and the sustainability of the workplace. Furthermore, the benefits that organisations experience by investing in eco-friendly practices are difficult to ignore. Here are four ways to make your office more environmentally friendly.
1. Make Recycling Easy
If you don't already have one, an office recycling program is a great place to kickstart your environmental efforts. Add recycling bins to shared office spaces such as kitchens and other common areas, and post recycling reminders near the bins listing the types of items that employees can recycle. If you are already recycling? Check to make sure that employees know about the recycling program. It can be helpful to send the occasional refresher email to keep your recycling policies at the forefront of your team's mind.
2. Conserve Energy Within The Office
Turning off the lights and switching off electronic equipment around the office during off-hours will help to conserve energy resources as well as save your company a significant amount on your electric bill. Ensure that your workplace has communicated your policy around reducing energy consumption at their desks and around the office and provide suggestions such as shutting off their computers at the end of the work day and keeping the lights off when a meeting room is not in use. These simple instructions in the long run make a huge difference.
3. Go Paperless
Digital and cloud computing solutions have enabled companies to become more collaborative, streamlined, efficient, and yes, green too. From using desktop applications such as Microsoft Office and Google Drive for coordinating work projects to investing in digital HR and payroll software to handle workforce management, paper and ink are swapped out for an eco-conservative alternative.
4. Invest In Office Plants
Placing plants around the office can help to beautify your workspaces, uplift the overall atmosphere of your workplace, and reduce stress and anxiety for your workforce. Indoor greenery can boost oxygen levels and remove harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide and formaldehyde. In fact, NASA research reveals that indoor plants reduce 87% of indoor air pollutants within 24 hours.
