green office

Green Your Workspace with New Online Tool

jplatt — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

One of my core beliefs is that one person can make a difference. That's true at home, in the community, at play or at work.

Speaking of work, the EPA's ENERGY STAR program has launched a great new website called Energy Star @ Work. It offers any employee, executive, building manager or small business the tools and information they need to make their office and workplace greener and more energy efficient.

Some of the recommendations are nothing new -- use CFL bulbs, for example -- and others are obvious choices for the sponsor of the site -- buy ENERGY STAR qualified monitors. But the site is full of all kinds of other ideas that look at everything from heating and cooling and reducing waste to setting up "green teams" at work.

One of the site's highlights is an interactive tour of the average office, which offers some unexpected ways to save energy.

Check out the Energy Star @ Work site at http://www.energystar.gov/work. It's worth a look, and it could help you make a difference.

Five Green-Tech Ways to Use Less Paper

jplatt — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Are you using too much paper in your job? According to reduce.org, the average office worker uses a shocking 10,000 pages of per ever year. Averaged out to 200 work days, that's 50 sheets of paper every single day!

But don't worry, there are several easy things you can do -- both as an individual and on a company level -- to reduce that pile of paper, which will improve your environmental footprint and save money.

1. Work digitally -- You don't always need to print things out. Share documents electronically and try using collaborative software like Google Docs.

2. Print to PDF -- Think before you print. Do you really need a paper copy of that web page? Or will a saved digital file work better? I use a free program called PDF Creator that uses the "print" feature in any of my programs to generate a PDF of any document.

3. Go Green -- Have your company install the enterprise version of GreenPrint World. This program (which costs $70 per user on your site, with volume discounts available) examines every print job and lets you decide what elements to print and which ones to skip (say, photographs, or the legal disclaimers at the bottom of a web page). It keeps track of how many pages you don't print, allowing you to "track your impact" (how much paper you have used, or how much ink you have saved) and monitor your overall printing habits.

(By the way, individuals can download a free version of GreenPrint World, so you don't necessarily have to wait for your company to do this for you.)

4. Print on both sides -- Many printers can automatically handle duplex printing, and you should be able to change your print defaults (either individually or system-wide) to always print documents on both sides of a piece of paper.

5. Kill the fax -- Why is this technology still in use? Electronic documents are more flexible, easier to send and easier to read than faxes. If you absolutely have to send or receive faxes, use an online service to get rid of your fax machine. You'll use less paper and less energy in the process.

Give these tips a try and see how quickly you cut your paper use. Even a 50% reduction saves 5,000 sheets a year, so what do you have to lose?

Design a Green Home Office

jchait — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:04:21 -0400

Whether you use your home office infrequently, such as for simply paying bill, or work at home full-time, you can create a space that's both user friendly and green. Use these tips to create a green office, or to simply green up the office you have.

Buy recycled whenever possible: You can recycled versions of copy paper, printer cartridges, pens, mailing supplies, furniture and more. Also, just because it says recycled doesn't make it the best. Look for the highest recycled content products you can find. To learn more about recycled content read: Recycling Terms You Should Know.

Turn off any equipment when you're not using it. Also, if possible, unplug items. Even when a printer, shredder, or other electric piece of equipment is plugged in, it's draining energy.

If it isn’t totally dead... : Don't buy new. If all it takes is some time and glue or nails why not fix that desk. Maybe all your shelves need is fresh paint. If you have to dispose of an item, be sure to give any usable items to charity or a pal. If you don't know where to recycle old computer equipment take a look at Where Can I Recycle My… or Who Can Recycle Your Office E-Waste.

Quit with the scratch pads: If you can, go digital. If you're a diehard paper user, use the back of junk mail, old bills, items you've printed on one side, and so on. You have plenty of used paper options around your home right now.

Light with halogen: Halogen can be a smart office choice; especially if you need precise light in a specific area. Plus they last much, much longer than plain incandescent.

Buy all green supplies: There are plenty of good green office supply websites, and basic office stores that offer green options. I'm sort of an Office Max girl, but I have to say that I like the Green Book from Office Depot, which is chock full of green items; from cleaners, to paper, to file cabinets.