8 Ways Employees Can Take on the Green Initiative

Many companies have green policies in place to help the environment and save money by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Employees can follow suit to do their part in reducing the carbon footprint left on the environment and save themselves money as well as the business. Here are 10 easy ideas that can help employees go green:

1. Purify your office or desk area with plants. In past blogs, we have talked about how plants help out office environments. Maintaining a few air purifying plants will clear up the air in your environment and also cleans the air, removing bacteria and germs that cause colds and other problems for you and cost you money when you miss time at work.
2. Use green cleaning supplies. Not only are these better for the environment, but less harsh chemicals are better for you too.
3. Use reusable drink containers. Rather than constantly using water bottles or disposable drink containers, purchase a reusable drink container for water, coffee, or tea. Same goes for bringing your lunch to work, use containers that you can reuse instead of plastics, foils, and wrappers that you throw away every day.
4. Digitize your to do list. Rather than writing your to do list down on paper each day, digitize it by keeping it on your smartphone and/or computer.
5. Reduce paper consumption in any other ways you see possible. Reuse scrap paper for notes.
6. Change your printer settings to the setting that uses less ink. Widen the printer margins so that more use is made out of each piece of paper.
7. Make more use out of reusable office supplies such as paper clips instead of staples or tape.
8. Reduce your power consumption by shutting off lights when not using them, instead of screen savers or standby, shut your computer off.

The benefits of your greener habits at work can rub off to your co-workers, and hopefully will catch the attention of management who will reward you for helping the environment and the business save money.