Last week I wrote about the fabulous Green family and Mrs. Almost Average, both of whom are working to make their homes zero waste. As they demonstrate, it’s a challenge, but surprisingly doable, if you put a little thought into it. Waste at home is only half of the story.
Most of us actually spend the majority of our waking — and wasting — hours in the office, sending a stunning amount into landfills! Plus, all that waste costs companies a lot of money. If you watch TV you’ve probably seen the series of IBM commercials about the financial benefits of “tree hugging.” They make a great point, probably the most compelling one for business people. Doing the right thing, like using both sides of copy paper or changing to energy efficient bulbs, saves the environment and the budget! The Natural Resources Defense Council website has a helpful list of ideas for reducing paper and other waste in your office. Like most good ideas, they’re so obvious once you think of them:
- Use email whenever possible instead of letters or faxes.
- Don’t print emails.
- Use paper that’s already been printed on one side in your fax machine.
- Reduce the number of printers in your office (fewer machines = less electricity – so simple!)
- Use a slightly smaller font and wider margins, so you can fit more on each page.
- Switch to electronic delivery of periodicals.
- Reduce your incoming mail by getting off business junk mail lists.
- Stock the kitchen with reusable mugs and utensils instead of paper and plastic.
- Make sure everyone has access to recycling.
- Just like at home, look for products with less packaging.
Another place that businesses can produce or reduce their waste is at events. In Kristen’s post this week she talked about how some designers at New York fashion week, like Aveda, are making an effort to green their practices and their shows. The Democratic National Convention got a lot of press for using eco-friendly practices, like the wooden hotel key cards used in Denver. On the flip side of the coin, China was dinged by Greenpeace for creating new landfills instead of trying to make the Olympic Games zero waste. There are a lot of innovative ways to at least reduce your event waste, and often it helps to work with an expert who has experience and connections.
Eco-event consultant Johanna Walsh of Twirl Management got into green event management when she had a math realization at a big conference. As she put it, “10,000 people at a 3 day conference is a lot of water bottles!” Simple saving solution of the pros? Have the site provide glasses and tap water (it can be chilled if you’re fancy) in dispensers in each room. Fewer bottles, less expensive. Big win! The other place Johanna sees a lot of corporate waste is in the ubiquitous computer bag and mouse pad giveaways. She often works with John Borg of Eco-Imprints to propose earth friendly promotional gifts, like a 2GB USB drive made of bamboo, or a portable solar powered charger. Now those are corporate gifts that will be reused, not tossed in the trash. Big or small, the efforts we make to reduce waste all day long, including at work, will have a cumulative effect on the environment, and the economy. Since those are numbers 1 and 2 on almost everyone’s list of Big Concerns, I’d say we have some darn good motivation to start conserving!
Photo Source: The Michael via flickr Dan’s Note: Our GreenDimes service will also help eliminate some portion of your junk mail at a small, home-based business. Try it out and let me know how it works!