7 Simple Ways to Go Green in the Office

Support sustainable catering options in your office

Foodee provides sustainable packaging (either compostable or recyclable) for every restaurant you order from. We also work with green delivery partners (who deliver by trike or bicycle) to reduce emissions from getting your lunch catering to your office. Check out all the restaurant options in your city for your next corporate order here:

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! Oh, and Compost

The average person produces over 4 pounds of waste per day and an almost unthinkable amount over the course of their lifetime. If you’ve ever rooted through a company trash can (it does happen – think eclair), you’ll know that one man’s garbage is another man’s recyclable.

Make sure to have separate bins in which to discard each throwaway, and a clear outline as to what should be put into the garbage and what shouldn’t be. If you can reduce your 4 pounds by any amount, you’re on the right track.

Low Energy Light Bulbs

If natural light isn’t an option in the office you’re working out of, swap out any incandescent bulbs for fancy, environmentally friend fluorescent ones.

If you’re not already using Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), it’s about time you did.

Fluorescent bulbs have a number of environmental advantages over incandescent ones, including lifespan and energy consumption. Lasting 8-10 times longer, using about 75% less energy, and producing 90% less heat while delivering more light per Watt, the advantages of CFLs are impossible to ignore.

Bike to Work – Use Public Transit

Chances are if you work in an office, you’re already commuting via bus or some other public means. Biking is the best way to reduce your footprint, but if the weather isn’t permitting or the trek is just too far, a bus or train is the way to go. Besides cutting carbon emissions, using the bus has a number of benefits. Public transit users are said to be more active, less stressed, and leave riders with more money than their car-bound counterparts.

Bring in Some Greenery

Offset the sterility of your office with some potted plants!

But decor isn’t the only reason to commit to this garden variety. Having a ratio of one plant per 3 employees will actually improve the air quality in the office, reducing CO2 by as much as 50%, and dust, bacteria, and mould by 20%. Not only that, but productivity and creativity are all said to be improved by the introduction of plants.

Unplug Your Electronics

It would be nice to know you’re powering down your laptops and monitors when they’re sitting idle, but it’d be better if you were unplugging them completely.

Powered down appliances consume unnecessary energy when plugged into any outlet, and the processes that produce that power are detrimental to the environment. According to The International Energy Agency, Phantom Ppwer Drain is responsible for roughly 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Seems like a lot when all you have to do is take out the plug.

Say No to Paper

It’s 2016! If you still haven’t gone digital you might as well be living in the stone age. Not only will you save some trees by putting everything onto a Google Drive or Calendar, you’ll reduce the impact on the air of transporting physical goods.

 

Filed Under: Foodee HQ