The desire to go green at work is NOT the issue. The problem is how. Yes, there is a recycling bin for aluminum cans and shred bins for paper. However, that is not enough to turn the environmental issue around. Here are five ways to go green at work and benefit the company.
- Single Use Plastic Alternatives that work
- Hire plants to clean the air
- Go full digital
- Limit your supplies to what you actually use
- Re-purpose coffee grounds
Singe Use Plastics
Single-use plastics are the bane of every environmental effort. For a while, it seemed that if you used anything else, you were going backward. The field of plastic replacement has a long way to go, but we do have options to go green at work.
- Cleaning Supplies – www.blueland.com – All you need is one set of forever bottles, warm water, and the cleaning tablet to make almost a liter of cleaning product. They offer foaming hand soap, bathroom cleaner, window cleaner (our favorite), multi-surface cleaner, kitchen cleaner, and dishwashing alternatives. They also use authentic botanicals for a mild scent.
- Camping metal insulated water bottles and coffee cups. They keep hot things hot and cold things cold.
- Unpaper towels from Etsy
- Re-usable silicone baggies for lunches
Hire Plants to Clean the Air
During the California fires, the air turned thick with smoke. The smoke flowed over the mountains and blanketed Western Nevada with smoke, smog, and ash. Residents in both areas could not go outside without masks and safety goggles.
The only safe refuge was inside, where plants would cycle the carbon dioxide we breathe out and release oxygen. Homes with more than five (5) plants per room were better able to clean the air faster and keep the air fresher.
Use the same tactic to go green at work. Plants create a more peaceful environment, promote higher productivity, and increase employee retention.
Go Fully Digital
Stop the paper madness! Go fully digital.
In every business, there is some paperwork. Create a retention schedule to determine how long you need to keep something. After all, how long do you need to keep a paid invoice? Taxes keep seven (7) years, but a paid invoice for window cleaner? Instead, scan those older records, invoices, and contracts into your computer and make sure that part is backed up offsite!
If you make everything from today forward digital and scan in a box of older records a week, you will have space in no time. You can always repurpose those filing cabinets to hold tools or recycle them as scrap metal.
Did you know you could put unused coffee grounds in the fridge instead of baking soda to absorb odors? Just make sure there are holes in the lid. Replace monthly.
Limit Your Supplies
When you go fully digital, you will be amazed at what office supplies you don’t need. Do you need those binders, binder clips, or sheet protectors anymore?
A local company recently went 100% digital. We happen to overhear their office manager at lunch. She said, “I’m surprised about how much we are saving on supplies. I would rather spend that money on our employees.”
You don’t have to wait for your company to go fully digital. Look for ways to limit your use of supplies. Besides saving the company money, you will also free up your desk space.
Coffee As a Soil Amendment
Starting to go green at work begins at the coffee station. Collect your coffee grounds and give them to your office gardener. They can either compost it or use the grounds directly in their garden. Coffee grounds improve drainage and water retention, keep wasps and bees away, provide nitrogen, and feed the good microorganisms you need for good plant growth. Mix two cups of brewed coffee grounds with 5 gallons of water in a bucket overnight. Then use it to water as usual. Great for indoor plants too!
However, single-use coffee pods have a long way to go before they become compostable. Consider saving money by using a refillable pod instead. The savings can go to different pre-ground coffee flavors or creamers.
All-In Hauling can help you with the big things. However, you have the power to make the boldest impact. Every little thing changes you make matters. It may not look like much at first, but remember all great beaches are made of little grains of sand. Each grain contributes. Gather enough grains, and you have the beginning of something new.
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