This post was originally posted here: Tips for a Green Office

Keeping the office current and on-track when it comes to environmentally friendly practices isn’t always easy. There could be various personalities and opinions to deal with regarding green practices and not everyone might care as much about the effects of wastefulness and harmful environmental practices as you. There are however ways to make your office greener and hopefully influence others to do so as well.

Recycling
Office environments can be prime examples of inefficiency and waste. There is often a variety of simple ways in which offices can buckle down and with a few easy changes make a significant difference in their environmental impact.

• Paper is often a huge waste product in many offices. Having labeled recycle bins for paper products near printers, copiers, fax machines, and other strategic locations around the office can help minimize the amount of paper going into the trash.

• Metal cans and plastic bottles can pile up in an office environment. Again, utilizing labeled recycle bins for these materials both in offices and break rooms can reduce waste.

• Printer cartridges are another item that an office can go through rapidly depending upon printing needs. Check with your supplier to see if they will exchange old cartridges when they are empty for a discount on replacements or if you can, have empty cartridges refilled.

Energy Savings
It’s interesting how the same people that would turn lights off at home to save a few cents on the electric bill might leave everything possible turned on inside their office when they go home at night. Consider posting signs to remind these people to conserve energy at work as well.

• Turning office lights out when leaving to go home or even to lunch can reduce energy consumption.

• Turning computers off or setting them to “Sleep” modes when not in use can lower energy usage.

• Lowering the thermostat when not around can decrease energy use as well.

Transportation
Consider getting your office involved in energy saving transportation methods. This can be a great way to reduce transportation costs as well as help the environment.

• Using public transportation can help the environment as well as be a more relaxing way to get to work.

• Car pooling or ride sharing with co-workers is another way in which transportation costs can be reduced as well as help the office to go green.

• Incentive programs that offer your co-workers rewards for biking, walking, or utilizing a more efficient and eco-friendly way to get to the office, could make for a greener option as well.

Many offices and the employees within them are different in the ways they are motivated to help the environment. Consider what would work best with you and your co-workers to make your office the most eco-friendly it can be.

Vincent has spent the last 10 years implementing employee recognition programs for Fortune 500 companies throughout the U.S. He currently lives in Houston and writes regularly about motivating employees on his Motivation Stream blog.