Having an Eco-Friendly Work Environment Matters

According to The CogFX Study conducted by United Technologies, intellectual thinking increased by 26% when incorporating sustainable practices into the workplace. Given that a person spends more than 1/3 of their day in the office, this is important. Sustainable lifestyles are gaining recognition worldwide and companies have been noticing. BMW, Adidas and IKEA are well-known companies who have aligned their goals and operations towards sustainability efforts. Just because you are at work, does not mean you can’t still participate in making the world an eco-friendlier place. 

Though there are dozens of ways to become sustainable, here are four simple ways to incorporate sustainable practices into the workplace:

1. Going Paperless

The United States produces more than 20 million tons of paper per year. Want to know how much actually gets recycled? About 11 million tons per year. Only 53% of paper is actually recycled. Going paperless has become an onward trend throughout the past five years. Upgrading documentation to the digital age can take several days, months and even years depending on how much data needs to be transferred. 

OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive are three common clouds that companies are utilizing. Transitioning into a cloud-based system allows easy accessibility to documentation and the security that documents can only be accessed by authorized users. Asking for receipts and invoices to be emailed instead of printed also decreases the paper footprint. designforce, has implemented paperless processes, such as sharing information on our LED display television rather than printing and using a cloud system.

2. Investing in reusable dishware

Have you entered a coffee shop and received a paper straw or not received a straw at all? I have. Within the last year, restaurants have banned the use of plastic straws. Why? Because 91% of plastic is not being recycled properly and is dumped into landfills and oceans. 

While you are at work, you can help be the change by reusing coffee mugs, plates, bowls, silverware, you name it. Reusable dishware helps a company save money and actually uses less energy than plastic dishware does in its lifetime. We practice this at designforce! On my first day at designforce, I received a water bottle that keeps my drink hot and cold (depending on what I want to drink)! I use this regularly along with reusable dishware during meals and snacks.

3. Daylighting

Imagine this. You are sitting at your desk next to the window and the sun is brightly shining. You also notice that the office lights are on, however, you realize that this is unnecessary.  Daylighting properly illuminates a workplace by using natural light, sunlight and skylights. By executing daylighting tactics, a company can save at least 35% on electrical energy usage in commercial buildings.

Does your office not have windows to utilize daylighting? Suggest switching over to LED lights that are energy efficient, non-toxic, and has a longer lifespan than fluorescent and incandescent lights. Companies, including designforce, have motion censored lighting systems that turns off and on depending on when movement occurs in the office, which helps lower energy usage. 

4. Commuting

Gas prices have been continuously rising over the years. Whether we want to believe it or not, commuting not only affects our lives, but the health of this planet as a whole. Becoming an eco-friendly commuter can be a simple change that has a positive impact on the environment. How? It causes less pollution from vehicles, can be a healthy life change and can save you money. 

Reported by The Environmental Protection Agency, motor vehicles cause 75% of carbon monoxide pollution in the United States. Think about it, you are breathing this air! If you have to drive to work, no worries, try carpooling by sharing a vehicle with other riders heading to the same or nearby destination. You can have a friend or two to talk to during your drive in. Carpooling reduces the number of cars on the road and carbon monoxide floating around. 

Open to not driving to work? Awesome! You can use public transportation to get to work. Using public transportation, such as metro/subway or bus, will allow you to have some “me time” to yourself. Do you not have time to catch up on your book club series because life gets away from you? Now you can utilize your “me time” and read. Biking and walking are two other popular alternatives to get into work, especially in cities. 

Don’t have to go into the office? Remote work! Remote working is trending throughout the workforce and can positively impact the environment. Working from home and reducing the number of vehicles on the road can:  

1. Decrease greenhouse gas emissions
2. Improve transportation infrastructure
3. Reduce the total number office materials used such paper and lights

As one that lives in the outskirts of Washington DC, I walk to the closest metro station then ride to the Farragut West stop. From there, I walk to designforce’s office and wherever else I need to head to throughout the day (which usually is Compass Coffee for their Vanilla Cream Cold Brew)! By using public transportation, I keep an eye on my Fitbit by setting health goals and measuring the number of steps I take on a daily basis.  

The thing is, you probably already do a lot of eco-friendly practices on your own: 

• Do you purchase the right size light bulbs for your home? 
• Do you use reusable cloths to clean up spills? 
• Do you donate any items that you no longer need? Do you bring your own bags to the grocery store? 

These are all common ways you are living an eco-friendly lifestyle. If you are executing best practices at home, why not practice it in the workplace? A small difference, such as utilizing sunlight or not printing out that necessary one-page document can go a long way for helping the environment we live in.