SWEETIESAL

Being more environmentally friendly is the topic du jour and whilst you can definitely make an impact with the choices you make at home it can sometimes feel slightly more difficult in the workplace.

The good news is that of course there are ways you can contribute to more sustainable way of living!
A recent survey made by Seareach has identified the top 10 ways UK offices have gone and can go ‘green’ and which elements play an important part towards an improved workspace. I thought this was really useful so thought I would share these findings with you.

20% of offices go paperless, making a significant effort to reduce their impact on the environment.  Storing your work digitally is the way forward towards making your office green.

1. Paperless – Work is stored digitally 20%
2. Labelled waste bins – Suitable for recycling 18%
3. Solar panels for electricity 14%
4. LED bulbs – Use less energy and more efficient 12%
5. Green heating 9%
6. Reusable bottles 7%
7. Bike facilities 6%
8. Electric car charging points 6%
9. Motion-triggered lights 5%
10. Plants and natural light 3%

Below are Seareach’s tips on how you can make these changes in your office.

Go Paperless 

Scan and archive paperwork to help to move completely digital. The more you can store digitally and the less paper you use, the more you will transform your office into becoming green.

Label Recycling Waste Bins 

Clearly labelling your waste bins will help and encourage staff to recycle. With clear and concise instructions, it makes it easier for employees to follow.

Solar Panels for Electricity 

These enable you to have lighting and run lower power appliances. The photovoltaic cells use the sun’s energy to provide a green renewable energy source.

Installing LED Bulbs 

The energy consumption of LED lights can be up to a 75% saving, compared to halogen bulbs. This results in much less energy required and is a cost-effective effort towards your office running costs.

Green Heating 

The cheapest source for heating and is very efficient. Easy & cheap to install and performs well.

Reusable Water Bottle(s) and Flasks

Bring in your own water bottle or flask that can be refilled at work. From this, you’ll reduce the number of discarded plastic bottles and paper cups!

Bike Facilities 

Providing a bike rack can encourage employees to cycle to work, cutting down pollution and helping with general health and fitness.

Electric Car Charging Points

Electric cars provide more energy efficiency up to 85-90%, over ICE (Internal Combustion Engines). These are overall much greener and don’t require expensive fossil fuels in order to operate.

Motion Detection Lights 

Having these all-around communal areas helps improves energy efficiency. These can be ideal in seldom used rooms or shared rooms, such as small meeting rooms. This will save energy if people are in and out and often forget to turn off lights.

Plants and Natural Light  

Having plants in your office will aesthetically soften the work areas with boring colours and can help oxygenate the office.

Speaking about the study, Stuart Jailler at Seareach commented:

“As you can see from our list, there are various ways we can all help the environment. By contributing little by little every day, we all can do our part towards creating a healthier environment, reduce the number of waste that we generate and start recycling more.”

He continued:

“Interestingly, storing your paperwork digitally came out as favourite from our survey results. Non-essential paperwork, inefficient waste going to landfill and not being recycled and storing your work online, was primed the most important part towards making your working environment green. This was closely followed by clearly labelling your waste bins for recycling.”

What are your faves for your desk?