We may not necessarily all work in an environmentally friendly place, company or job. However, we can still do our individual best to lessen our personal impact on the environment in our workplace. As well as letting your boss and colleagues know that you are working to save the planet, you are in fact also reducing costs for the company.
Turn up the air conditioning temperature by just one degree. Don’t worry, you won’t be a sweaty mess before lunch, your body will quickly get used to the change. For a one degree celsius increase you are not only using less energy, but the knock on effect is that it costs less in terms of both money and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Plus air conditioning is notoriously bad for the health of your respiratory system in any case. Where possible, avoid using it at all.
Stop printing out every email. Be selective about the emails and any other information you print out. Only print them out if you know you need to transport them somewhere else, and consider a USB data drive for this purpose. Think twice about other printing, or the way you use any other paper source like envelopes, compliment slips or newspapers. If you must use paper then print on both sides, then recycle. If printed information is confidential then shred and then recycle. Re-use envelopes, just cross out names and send back. Deforestation is one of the most serious environmental issues facing us today, and is happening in Indonesia at a terrifying rate. Incidentally, the typical office worker gets through 10,000 sheets of paper a year, which amounts to an eighth of one tree.
Switch off all electrical items when going home. Don’t leave things on standby, it wastes a huge amount of energy and money. Shut down photocopiers, printers, monitors, computers and any other appliances. Shutting down just your computer monitor at night saves enough energy overnight to print out 1000 A4 pages.
The transport system in Bali is a bit of an environmental nightmare. Do what you can. Walk or cycle to work if you are close enough. Not only will this decrease the environmental load, it will help you to stay fit and healthy. Don’t breathe in the pollution though, wear a face mask. If you must travel by car try to share or car pool. If possible do the same for your kids going to school. Hopefully in the future we can get some sort of public transport system set up. And maybe even import some hybrid cars.
Use environmentally friendly bulbs. The initial outlay cost will be slightly more, but you will save in the long run due to their extended life. Put lights on a timer system where possible. Make sure you turn off all lights at night. Make it a routine as you do with your other electrical appliances.
Avoid hot and cold water dispensers. They use up a great deal of energy by consistently keeping water at certain temperatures, when the demand is infrequent. Room temperature water is the best for your body in any case. Refill your own water bottle or tea cup rather than using throw away plastic cups or bottles.
Keep a plant by your computer. Not only will it brighten up your work-space but it will reduce the negative effects of the computers radiation on you and it converts carbon dioxide to oxygen.
Stop the staples. If we each used one less staple every day we could save 120 tonnes of steel per year, as well as manufacturing costs and energy usage for production. Staples usually end up in landfill sites rusting and oxidizing and taking a long time to disintegrate. Use paper clips instead, then re-use them!
Get your co-workers and your company involved too. For the top-down approach encourage your own staff to follow your lead and teach them the basic principles of eco-working. Praise their efforts in this area. Bottom-up, inform your bosses that being environmentally friendly is not just a trend, but it makes corporate sense. Costs are reduced and the profile of the company positively changes. Ask your company to introduce policies to actively work for the environment, like dividing waste and recycling.
Happy Eco-Working!
If you have any questions or comments you can write to me
at charlieapsin@hotmail.com
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