How and Why to GREEN Your Office

Leading sustainability experts and green-living advocates often quote the fact, “The United States produces enough trash every single day to equal the weight of the Empire State Building.”  Every hour, Americans dispose of over 2 million plastic bottles and every second throw out more than 500 disposable diapers.  However all of this trash isn’t just from individuals and their homes.  Businesses and corporations are equally to blame for this volume of mounting waste, putting tons of paper, aluminum cans, and Styrofoam cups into waste bins. They leave lights on for hours on end, use excessive amounts of energy to run equipment, and toss out Styrofoam, and plastic cups by the garbage-basket. Someone can keep an environmentally-friendly home but then spend more than eight hours a day in an office which is anything but green. The 2EcoChics, and founders of EcoChics Earthwear, encourage everyone to do their part to live an environmentally-friendly lifestyle and this includes businesses.  There are simple things that every office can do to create a green atmosphere, which is something the employees, customers, and planet will appreciate. 

One of the first things to do is to reduce the amount of paper that’s being used.  To go paperless, corporations can go online for services.  Instead of giving employees a hard-copy paystub, they can make them available for online viewing and utilize direct deposit for payment.  Other forms such as tax forms, employee manuals, job request forms, and banking statements can be kept in an online database which eliminates much paper-waste.  Standard fax machines generate a lot of paper but a green office can use an electronic fax program or paid electronic fax services like Nextiva and MyFax. 

EcoChics Earthwear encourages offices to consider their lighting.  Offices should use environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient lights and be careful to shut out lights.  Switching incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s) brings down energy costs and even lasts longer.  It’s also a good idea to open blinds and enjoy nature’s light source as much as possible.  Natural light has been shown to improve the mood of workers and everyone feels better being near a window and seeing sunshine!

Business equipment such as printers, computers, copiers, and fax machines account for the large part of an office’s energy use.  However, most new equipment comes with a “sleep” mode which puts it into a lower-power state when inactive.  This kind of equipment is easily identified because it’s branded with an “Energy Star” logo.  Green companies, like EcoChics Earthwear, suggest that their employees carpool. This reduces the amount of carbon dioxide pollution which comes from every employees driving their own vehicle.  Companies can even encourage their employees to ride their bikes to the office by giving away free bike-locks or running special contests and fun internal promotions. 

Once a company goes green, they should promote it with environmentally-friendly messages on products and promotional items that carry their brand-name or logo.  This tells their customers that they care about the environment and are doing their part to conserve energy and preserve the atmosphere.  Some ideas are using jute tote-bags, organic cotton T-shirts, or any item made from biodegradable or recyclable materials. Even if an organization adopts one or two practices to green their office, a little effort by a lot of businesses, will make a real impact on the environment.  Having a green office has the added benefit of teaching a company's employees eco-friendly practices they can apply at home and builds awareness among their customers to do the same. 

If your office has gone green, the 2EcoChics want to know about it!  Send your company name and a short message about how your business is thinking of the planet to: ecochics@jessicaclay.com. We'll give your company a special shout-out on our Facebook and Twitter pages to spread the word about your commitment to the environment.