|
Welcome to our site!
In this site you will find tips to reduce your business or organization's ecological footprint. If you want make your business greener, reduce its carbon footprint, these ideas are for you. We suggest that you start with our tips at work section.
Over the course of the next few months on this page, we'll write about specific topics in order to help you green your organization. To consult previous posts click here.
September 2nd 2010
Scissors
If you need new scissors, it’s either because your old pair is no longer working efficiently, or because you don’t have any. If you don’t hair a pair, only buy scissors made with recycled stainless steel blades and plastic handles containing post-consumer plastic. Some pairs contain as much as 70% recycled materials.
If your old scissors don’t work properly anymore, see if you can have them repaired. Maybe the blades just aren’t sharp anymore. If so, have them sharpened. If there’s a problem with the screw in the middle, go to your local knife store—there’s a good chance your scissors can be able to be repaired.
Tape Dispensers
Try to buy tape dispensers made of at least 50% post-consumer plastic, and make sure if yours is broken or damaged to put it in the recycling bin. Not all recyclers take them, but the more your put them in the bin, the more recyclers will see there is volume and will start taking them.
Waste Baskets.
Choose waste baskets made from recycled steel, which takes less energy to produce than products made from iron ore, for example. Baskets made out of recycled plastics are also a good option.
Avoid Markers with Solvent Based Ink
If possible, replace solvent-based markers with chalk, wax pens, or simple color pencils. There are plenty of options when you spend some time thinking about it.
Use Fewer Napkins
In cafeterias and public eating places where napkins are offered for free, people have a tendency to take more napkins than necessary because they’re afraid of needing to get back up to get a few more. Try to educate them about all that waste. Maybe you can make the napkins a little less available by placing them under the counter, for example. Or maybe people will need to ask for them. This will make people be more reasonable when taking napkins. If your organization is small, why not provide hand towels that you have washed by a cleaning service every day?
Consume Less
You’ve heard the proverb that more is better. This goes against the ecological footprint reduction concept. Today, we as individuals and organizations consume far more food, equipment, and gadgets than we actually need. Before making a purchase for the workplace, ask yourself if this product is really needed now, at this moment, or can wait. If the answer to is that it can wait and you’re able to postpone that purchase, chances are you won’t buy it in the end. Your organization’s immediate apparent need will have passed or moved on to something else, and you’ll avoid making unnecessary purchases which is better for your organization’s cash flow and better for the environment.
Consume Right
It’s often said in our capitalist world that the only good thing a consumer can do is buy, buy, and buy again. Today, with environmental concerns in mind, consumers and corporate citizens need to buy products or services that will be produced or delivered in a manner respectful of the environment and the people associated with it.
‘’Just in Case’’ purchases
Ever bought something ‘’just in case’’, only to realize that you now have three of the same product, or that the co-worker seated next to you has one that he can share? If you’re unsure, postpone your purchase. If it turns out you really need it, you’re probably sure, not uncertain.
Buy Organic
Buying organic food for your organization not only ensures that you, your employees, or customers are eating food that’s produced without pesticides and so on, but it’s also a statement about sustaining durable development. Respect the soil, the air, and the people involved with these products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s national organic program includes a set of standards verified by an independent party. Organic food is now available in most supermarkets and is used in restaurants and cafeterias.
August 23th 2010
Automatic Checks Deposits
While direct deposit is widely implemented, there are still people and small enterprises that give out paper pay checks every week. Converting to electronic pay checks not only saves paper but also saves employees time (don't need to cash it), fuel, and money.
Green Office Supplies
Almost anything used in an office can be somewhat green. From promotional material to the paper used in the printers, there’s no limit! Below you will find supplies that can be easily switched out in favour of greener choices. Choose a source for office supplies located as closely as possible to your organization. Look for products manufactured in your country or continent that will require less transportation.
Adhesive Notes
Before having all these notes spread over your desk and computer, ask yourself if you really need this type of supply. Do you really need the combination of adhesive and paper, or can paper alone do the job? If you do buy adhesive notes, buy ones made out of recycled paper and that contain post-consumer content. Sometimes post-consumer content isn’t always indicated on the label, but ask for it. The more consumers ask, the more corporations will adjust their materials strategies.
Binders
First, always use your binders more than once. If you no longer need the contents of a binder but feel you need to keep it, store it in a cabinet or in properly labelled storage boxes. Every year, check to see which ones are still good and which ones need a little repair, then try to find binders made with recycled materials.
Pens
Instead of buying cheap pens and throwing them away when there’s no ink left, use a long-life refillable pen made out of recycled plastic, paper, or timber. Why not rely more on electronic means to write down notes? It’s now a common practice to bring a computer to a meeting to take down notes. You’ll save paper, ink, and time since you don’t need to re-type the contents to send minutes or actions via e-mail. If you’re more the pencil type, buy pencils made with wood off-cuts or recycled paper.
Paper Clips
Reuse, reuse, reuse. If you look inside office drawers in North America, you’re sure to find paper clips. Everyone has them. Set aside a reclamation area where people can leave their unneeded clips and others can take them as needed.
August 15th 2010
Coffee Machine Filters
Make sure your office's coffee machine has a metal or plastic filter. This will save you from using paper filters every time the coffee machine is used. While you’ll require more water to clean the filters, this is still less water than would go into producing those paper filters, plus it also creates less waste in landfills.
Office Kitchens
Allow your employees to bring their food from home. This habit is cheaper for the employees and produces less solid waste. Your office’s kitchen should have recycling bins for glass, plastic, aluminum recycling, and a compost bin, if possible, even if this requires some spending. Don’t offer plastic or paper cups and utensils—if they’re available, people will use them. Provide real dishes, mugs and utensils. In the long run, you will save money, also.
Bottled Water
Avoid buying water bottles. Although recyclable, the quantity of bottles produced and not recycled is becoming incredibly high in landfills. At work, have your people make habit of filling their personal bottle. Standards defined by the EPA are more stringent than the standards set for bolted water by the Food and Drug Administration. If you want to be more drastic, remove bottled water from your organization’s vending machines. For safety measure, educate workers on the importance of cleaning their personal bottle after each use in order to eliminate bacteria in the bottle. If you’re unsure about your building’s water quality, or if people don’t like its taste, try faucet filters.
Don't Drink Traditional Soda
Replace traditional soda brands in your vending machine with the new brands of organic soda available. Consider club soda, which is made from filtered water that’s been carbonated. This way you also avoid drinking artificial flavours and preservatives. Some brands to try include Santa Cruz Natural or Blue Sky Beverage Company.
August 13th 2010
Reusable Mugs vs. Cardboard
Thank God Styrofoam cups are disappearing from our landscape. The next step is to use ceramic or metal mugs. In the office, when people need to pay for coffee, have disposable cups removed and provide a financial incentive for people to bring their cups back. Life cycle analysis shows that over its average life of 3000 uses, a mug generates 30 times less solid waste and 60 times less air pollution than a foam or cardboard cup.
Coffee
Change out the coffee you have at work in favour of organic and Fair Trade-labelled brands. Fair Trade certification promotes more sustainable agriculture. Fair Trade distributors pay a higher than market price for products to ensure minimum labour, environmental, and social conditions are met. For more information on fair trade certification, go to: www.sustainableharvest.com.
Coffee Stirrers and Milk
Replace coffee plastic coffee stirrers with dried pasta such as fettuccini. The cost is similar, pasta doesn’t alter the coffee’s taste, and pasta is 100% biodegradable. Instead of keeping those small cups of cream or milk, place a milk dispenser near the coffee machine, or if your break area has a refrigerator, just have a carton of milk available in the refrigerator.
August 12th 2010
Paper and Ink Reduction
When personal computers were invented, we were told we‘d eventually be working in paperless environments. The opposite happened. It’s become so simple to correct a document and re-print it, as opposed to re-typing it on a typewriter like we used to do, that people can print 10 copies of what used to take two to three to get right the old-fashioned way. Make paper and ink use reduction one of your key environmental objectives for the year and give yourself an aggressive target. People should think twice before printing. This would not only save trees, but also storage, handling and fuel. Print on both sides, have all important documents spell-checked before printing, and when doing a presentation that absolutely requires you to print handouts, print at least three slides per page and use both sides of the paper.
You can also save paper by reducing your documents’ default margins—try ½ inch all around. This needs some getting used to, as there is more text per page, but can help you save up to 20% in paper.
There is a software program called GreenPrint which is designed to eliminate unnecessary pages and converts files to PDF for sharing electronically. GreenPrint also calculates your savings so you can track and see your reduction in number of pages. Another good practice is to ban high-gloss products and color papers which are not recyclable.
Finally, for the paper that you must buy, look for unbleached post-consumer waste paper. For virgin paper, look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification to ensure the wood used was harvested responsibly.
Recycle Ink Cartridges
Spent ink cartridges take up a great deal of space in landfills. Aside from the warranty from the manufacturer, there is no good reason why cartridges can’t be recycled. More and more re-fillers offer written guarantees against down time and equipment damage, so ask for these. Finally, recycled cartridges can cost 90% less than new ones—an incentive most managers can appreciate.
Collect Cell Phones
Provide a bin to collect old cell phones and send them to organizations like ReCellular, which collects and reprocesses more than three million retired phones annually. Choose a location in the organization where most people pass by to make it easy for them to deposit the phone. If you deal with a service provider for your mobile phone services, ensure they apply this policy also.
|
