33 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

What have you done to help your work environment "green up" whether it's an office
environment or other work space?

Suggestions would be power strips for electronics (computers, printers, microwaves, coffee
pots in break room area), recycling, ceramic cups in kitchen/break
room vs. paper or plastic cups, cfl's/led's in fixtures, composting shredded office paper or
bagging it for recycling, asking office manager if the last people leaving for the day to turn
off the lights.

Your additional idea's and what you have done in your work environment?

[meowcow]

I work at a home office, so basically all that I have done to green up the house indirectly or directly applies to the office as well. But I guess the biggest change that has happened is not even my responsibility or even done on purpose. It just happened I guess and the transition was quite smooth so I basically just noticed when I've been doing it for months already. I'm talking about the switch to not use paper as much and also totally eliminating the use of plastic products. I used to go through tons of paper just for sketching and making notes but the current high technology has allowed me to just switch to digital files and by using a tablet I don't go through tons of paper every month anymore. As for eliminating plastic, in the past we used to use a lot of plastic bags to throw away or to organize all the trash and waste that we were generating and now since almost everything is digital we just don't generate that much trash anymore. This also applies to most parts of my house as well. :)

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Yay!

[energy_expert]

Be very careful with power strips..! I recently went to grab one that was underneath a table, and it had part of the plastic missing from the back...while it was plugged in... (I did not see the missing plastic and the unprotected wires) and shocked myself when I wrapped my hand around it! lol

We use lots of plastic, recycle, and are actually working on an LED project right now! Very energy efficient.

[MyDigitalpoint]

I'm actually substituting regular lamps for solar lamps, besides having the office painted in earthy colors, but I'm just starting and needing to make many other changes to make it a full energy efficient work place.

[zararina]

When I am still working in an office before, I always try to lessen my print outs and reuse papers for notes.
Right now I am working online and I think some ways in making it green include turning off the lights while working on a PC and turning it off when not in use as well as unplugging it.

[joeldgreat]

One thing I know about greening our offices is that three years ago our company shifted the of papers from class A to class B. Class A is made up of fresh pulp from trees while Class B are 50% fresh pulp and 50% recycled papers. Its cheaper and we had implemented the use of its back portion as scratch paper. The good thing is that everyone follows the implementation and now it becomes a daily habit for all employees.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

During the Christmas holiday season here, several tall office buildings in the downtown area, shut off all
the lights in the offices, except in certain ones to show a "cross" of lights.

If they can shut them all off then, why not year round?

[BillK22]

Thermal regulation isn't a bad idea.  Most offices are on the cool side.  Considering the cost (and associated emissions) of electricity, bumping up the office temp in the summer would be a good start.  3 degrees can save a lot.

[dconklin]

My office is in my house so making my house a greener way of living automatically made my office the same.  I actually started to use the living room with a laptop so I am not using extra lights in another room.  I am good at tuning out noise from the kiddos playing or watching tv so it works for me.

I don't use a printer, so no wasted paper here.  I almost never use my microwave, except for popcorn on movie night.  Some things are on a power strip, but it is a fire hazard to have major appliances such as microwave or air conditioning on a power strip.  

A suggestion for people in an office that needs to print out things is:
Don't throw out paper because it was the wrong printout or didn't print out right.  Re-use it for note taking (even your grocery list for later.)  I re-use envelopes and also junk mail for note taking.  My grocery list is often written on a piece of junk mail.

[QuatreHiead]

One thing I am rather proud of us for taking advantage of as working in a laboratory environment is that we make sure to try and use in-line pumps, like you can purchase at Home Depot for use in a garden or fountain. Typically we hook up to running water from the sink to create a vacuum. In addition, we can use running cold water in reflux condensers to cool the vapours into dripping back into reaction flasks. These are things we use in the research lab daily. After doing several coursework labs I wish that we could figure out a way to institute placing these in most labs to save on the water usage. It really irks me and a graduate student in the lab when little effort is made to use in-line pumps for instruments. They are very simple to set up after all and quite cheap.

Additionally we do a great job of recycling and reusing cardboard boxes around the work place.

I am also adamant about sending in our empty ink jet cartridges for recycling/reuse. Naturally we recycle paper, cans and plastics on a daily basis. Often we reuse bottles for storage of waste as well. I think now laboratories are doing a much better job at "more green" routines than in the past.

[JBMedia]

I use styrofoam cups at my office which I recycle at my nearest grocery store. Also in my office we re-use plastic grocery bags and dump them into one big trash bag at the end of every night. Then we take the plastic bags and also recycle them at the nearest grocery store. All of our lighting is on the most efficient energy saving plan and the same goes for all of our hardware backups. Unfortunately, that's all we have done so far. Being that we are a tech business it makes it a little harder for me to find specific things to continue in the green path.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

JBMedia, on 29 June 2012 - 04:07 PM, said:

I use styrofoam cups at my office which I recycle at my nearest grocery store. Also in my office we re-use plastic grocery bags and dump them into one big trash bag at the end of every night. Then we take the plastic bags and also recycle them at the nearest grocery store. All of our lighting is on the most efficient energy saving plan and the same goes for all of our hardware backups. Unfortunately, that's all we have done so far. Being that we are a tech business it makes it a little harder for me to find specific things to continue in the green path.

http://www.greenlivi...-styrofoam.html

[MyDigitalpoint]

I recently discovered how my neighbors recycle styrofoam; converting it into a roof undercover substance that is said to prevent moisture effectively.

However they don't want to disclose how to do this as they expect to sell the formula.

[artistry]

I work out of my home, so whatever I can do to save energy, when  I can. So far I have changed all my lightbulbs to energy saving ones. I also unplug any small appliances that are not in use.

[steph84]

I also work at home and I have used power strips, added a solar panel charging station for my laptop and gadgets and I eat my lunch right out of my garden! I also don't spend money on gas because I work here!

[QuatreHiead]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 29 June 2012 - 04:37 PM, said:

http://www.greenlivi...-styrofoam.html

This is great! I never realized there were so many ways to recycle and reuse styrofoam. I pretty much just avoided getting the plates and cups that are made of these materials. That is nice to know. Many thanks for passing this information along!

[Shortpoet-GTD]

QuatreHiead, on 01 July 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

This is great! I never realized there were so many ways to recycle and reuse styrofoam. I pretty much just avoided getting the plates and cups that are made of these materials. That is nice to know. Many thanks for passing this information along!

You're welcome.

[jackboyz]

We should use as much as recycling products. I am using recycling prducts since three years.

[ACSAPA]

I have one insulated travel mug for my coffee and one metal spoon. I don't use any plastic or styrofoam cups. I recycle all my paper goods and buy office supplies made of recycled paper whenever possible. I also use power strips and energy efficient light bulbs.
Since I work from home, I also use a fan instead of air conditioning and commute on bicycle when I need to run errands.