We’ve
all heard or read about the serious threat to our way of life posed by
environmental
degradation, including the acidification of the oceans, the
warming of the global climate system, and the loss of biodiversity. In recent
years, warnings issued by organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) have grown increasingly dire. The consensus among
experts, and a growing number of world leaders, is that we need to get our
collective act together if we intend to leave a decent, livable planet to our
grandchildren.
There
is no one, single “magic bullet” that can address all of those problems
simultaneously. In order to answer the challenge, we will need to combine our
skills of cooperation with our capacity for prudent, individual
decision-making. And the workplace happens to be a venue where personal
initiative and collaborative effort both come to the fore.
If
you’re concerned about your business’s impact on the environment, but worry about
the cost or difficulty of implementing more eco-friendly alternatives, fear
not: there are some simple, inexpensive techniques you can try that can make a
positive difference.
Invest in
new lightbulbs and energy-efficient appliances.
Replace
your old, incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs, and make sure the office
refrigerator, microwave, and dishwasher are all certified energy-efficient and
built to last. Another advantage of the pursuit of energy efficiency (besides
the environmental dimension) is the money you stand to save on your electricity
bill.
Conduct
regular checks of your office’s heating system to ensure that air is able to
flow freely through the vents.
Turn out
those lights!
Instruct
the last person to leave the office in the evening to turn out the lights, and
make sure all of the office computers are switched off. The same advice applies
to rooms not currently in use, and chargers for cell phones and other gadgets
that continue to sip electricity even when the device is fully charged. Unplug
these when they’re not needed.
If
possible, try scheduling “work from home” days.
One of
the primary sources of vehicular pollution in our society is the daily commute
to-and-from work—cars, trucks, and buses idling at stoplights and sitting in traffic.
Instead, encourage your team to work from home if they can. With the
communications technology available today, there is often no need for
professionals to congregate in a single location in order to keep in contact
with each other and get work done.
Reuse,
recycle, and compost.
Many
municipalities have citywide recycling programs, and some (like Vancouver,
B.C.) have municipal composting programs. By separating recyclable items and
organic materials from garbage, you’ll save space in your waste receptacles,
conserve energy and, ultimately, contribute to the diminution of landfills and
refuse processed at incinerators.
If
you have a lot of old documents with text on only one side, conserve paper by
writing on the other side. Set aside a trove of defunct, one-sided documents
for this purpose.
Order
paper products made from recycled material.
A wide
variety of paper products made from recycled materials—including plates,
napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, and document sheets—are available
for purchase in stationery stores and through wholesale distributors. Whenever
possible, try to order such products, particularly if they are compostable.
If your
work is finished early, go home.
Many
businesses operate on the basis of set hours, like the stereotypical “9 to 5”.
But unless there’s a good reason for you to remain at work throughout the
allotted time period, you’re better off shutting down your computer, cutting
the lights, and heading home. You may even profit from the opportunity to beat
the evening rush, which will save you fuel (better for both the environment and
your bank account), and spare you frustration.
Spend
some of your free time enjoying the natural world you’ve helped to preserve!
