When it comes to living a green lifestyle, many find it can be difficult to maintain good habits at work. Here are some tips to help ensure that the business you work for is doing everything it can to reduce its carbon footprint.
Research the Recycling
Talk to the maintenance and operations people at your office. Find out where all of those bottles and cans are going. If they’re not going to a recycling plant, then make it your priority to take them there yourself. Some employees have even made extra money this way, simply by taking bottles and cans to get recycled.
Coordinate Carpools and Public Transportation
Find out if your workplace provides incentives for employees who take public transit. Many offer some kind of subsidy to assist those who aren’t clogging the parking lot with their cars. If public transportation isn’t feasible for you, then figure out a way to carpool with co-workers who live near you.
Create a Clothing Drive
You may be surprised to discover that many of your co-workers throw out gently used clothing that could easily be given to a homeless shelter or donated to another great cause. In fact, it’s even estimated that a stunning 5 percent of all the items in landfills are textiles. Why not make your annual trip to Goodwill even more impressive? By setting up boxes for a clothing drive, you’ll help your co-workers to recycle their clothing. Since you’re doing all the legwork, there’s no reason for them not to bring their used clothes to work.
Use a Coffee Mug Instead of a Paper Cup
It can be difficult to get off the paper cup train, but making an effort to use the same reusable cup every day can inspire others, too. Over the course of a year, you’ll have saved hundreds of paper products by simply using your own mug.
Reuse Paper
Before tossing paper into the recycling bin, consider whether the other side can be reused for scrap paper. Also, when you’re printing out long manuals and other training materials, ensure that you’re using both sides of the paper when you’re setting up the document format on your computer.
Sustainability at work doesn’t have to be a drag. Being green in the workplace can be fun and easy, and it can provide excellent new ways to bond with your co-workers.
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