Going Green at Work is Where You Can Really Make a Difference
2008 was undoubtedly the year of cutting your carbon footprint at home, with a flood of press coverage and ad campaigns about going green. An army of newly-enlisted eco-warriors are going about switching to energy saving bulbs, insulating their lofts and stopping putting their TVs on standby.The problem is that our personal carbon footprints are a small fraction of the bigger picture.In reality, the vast majority of the world’s carbon emissions come from businesses and offices.What this means is that even a small change in a large organisation can have a massive impact.
So what, I hear you say. I don’t have any control over that. That’s the job of my boss, and my boss’s boss – nothing to do with me. But that’s just wrong. Anyone who has a job can make a big difference to their employer’s CO2 emissions. And it can make a much bigger difference than the things you do at home.
Here are some pointers, small and large, on achieving a greener workplace:
- Recycle office waste. The amount of paper, cans and plastic used at work is many times more than what you throw away at home. Why not try bringing in recycle containers in accessible locations. There are local government schemes that can help you get these in place.
- Cut down on car travel. Emissions from car exhausts are so harmful, and they can be cut by starting a fairly simple car pooling system. Alternatively, how about leaving the car at home and walking or cycling to work.
- Change to energy saving bulbs. Switching a few bulbs in the house conserves only a small amount of energy. Consider, however, the sheer number of bulbs in the office – switiching to energy saving’s gonna make a big difference.
- Green Machines. The energy usage of IT systems is huge for the majority of companies and organisations. One of the basic things you can do is make sure PCs and monitors are properly switched off at the end of the day. Why leave it there, though – for real results, get on to your IT manager about reviewing the company’s “green baseline”. Get them to perform some proper asset tracking on all office IT equipment, using professional asset management software, a business can dramatically reduce its carbon footprint and help meet increasingly stringent government environmental requirements.
- Campaigning. Move from baby steps to giant leaps. Gather yourself a like-minded platoon at work and start campaigning change and you’ll see big things happen.Us little people, by pressuring the company directors and managers to really take their green obligations seriously, can make great waves. Frequently going green also saves you money, as the IBM advertisement above shows.A good example would be businesses that create huge volumes of carbon emissions from transporting goods by air, sea and land. Pushing them to properly review their transport and logistics management and make the smallest of improvements can save them big money and dramatically reduce their carbon footprint in the process.
These are just some ideas. I just wanted to put the idea out there of how powerful going green in the workplace can be. Let me know your thoughts and ideas below!
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