5 Innovative Ways You Can Make Your Workplace Green

For first-timers, going green in the workplace may seem overwhelming at first—questions on where, when, and how to begin may come off as daunting. However, there are several exciting ways you can make your work environment eco-friendly without turning it into the woodlands. In this article, we highlight some of those best techniques available.

Install a recycle bin

The idea of installing a recycle bin may sound cliché. However, it is one of the most effective ways of ensuring a greener and safe environment. Work environments are characterized by lots of activities, and this also translates to a high quantity of trash. Consequently, this trash contributes to landfills, thereby contaminating the environment more and more. Of course, the best way to avoid this is to ensure that less waste goes into the landfills – hence, the importance of recycling. Installing a recycling bin in your workplace ensures that used or worn-out items are put to secondary use instead of being thrown away. In a case where these items are entirely unneeded, you can give them out to an external organization that my salvage them.

Change your lightings

Decreasing your daily energy consumption is another innovative way to make your workplace green. Often, the first idea that comes to mind for most first-timers is to switch off all lights bulbs that are not in use. However, there's a better solution, and it's the use of LED and CFL light bulbs. LED and CFL light bulbs are very eco-friendly. Once installed, they do not consume much electrical power and last for much longer. Although it is argued that their initial cost is more than that of the incandescent light bulbs, they help you save more money in the long run.

Source for renewable energy sources

Renewable energy sources such as solar and hydropower offer the same benefits as LED and CFL listed above. Traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels are notorious for increasing air pollution. Also, they cannot be replenished and involve high energy-consuming processes to generate. Renewable sources, on the other hand, are non-pollutant and are generated through less difficult processes. An instance is solar energy, which is generated easily through sunlight.

Get rid of paper

Unknowingly to several businesses, the use of paper in the workplace is one of the most anti-green day-to-day activities. Why? Paper is made from pulp, which is gotten through deforestation. So, promoting a green workplace would mean putting an end to the use of papers. Fortunately, there are excellent alternatives. The first is the use of electronic documents, which does not require the use of paper sheets, while the second is the use of PCW paper (Post-consumer waste paper). PCW paper is gotten from recycled materials, thereby avoiding the need for deforestation.

Introduce the 'green workplace challenge.'

The best way to promote a green workplace is to get the whole 'team' advocating for it. This is possible through the introduction of green workplace challenges. Competitions like who dispose of the least trash or uses the least fuel are excellent ideas. Of course, you would need some form of incentive to make the games enjoyable.

Making your workplace green offers several benefits to the environment you interact with daily and the planet as a whole. The techniques listed above provide you some of the easiest and most effective ways to get the job done. So, what’s holding you back?