Going Green in the Office
Posted by Nancy Saperstone on Thu, Apr 22, 2010 @ 08:41 AM
Today is Earth Day, so what better day to focus on "Going Green" in the office? Consider the following approaches to recycling the "stuff" that your company may no longer need:
- Have an "Office Yard Sale": Invite employees to a conference room to take any of the extra furniture, bookcases, printers, computers, etc. It's a win-win, the company doesn't have to incur the cost to dispose of the materials and the employees take what they want for free - talk about an employee moral booster! Anything leftover can then be donated to a local organization in need.
- Recycle scrap paper: Has your company logo or address changed or do you have scrap paper from a botched print job? Don't throw away all of that outdated letterhead, give it to employees to donate to their child's school or local community center where children will be able to doodle away. Think about printing draft documents on the back side of already used paper to help reduce the amount of paper.
- Old cell phones: There are many organizations that recycle cell phones for great causes. Consider donating old cell phones to our US Soldiers, Veterans or homeless shelters.
- Printer cartridge recycling: Don't throw away those old ink cartridges...recycle them! Did you know that:
- Almost 1 gallon of oil is needed to make one new laser cartridge
- In just 12 months, cartridge recycling could save 400 million gallons of oil in the U.S.
- Millions of cartridges go into landfills each year and this number increases by 12% annually
- A printer cartridge thrown into a landfill will take up to 450 years to decompose
- Water bottles: Instead of providing single-use water for employees, give each employee a water bottle with the company logo. Employees can take the water bottle wherever they go (free marketing!) and you'll be saving the environment by eliminating the plastic bottle waste.
These small changes are free and will better the environment for everyone!
Happy Earth Day!