Tips for an Eco-Friendly Workplace

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• Encourage employees to bring their own coffee mugs, and water glasses to reduce the use of disposable cups. This will reduce waste and save money.
• Reduce the use of paper and ink. Avoid printing documents that could just as easily be emailed, and print necessary papers on both sides.
• Reprogram the thermostat. Changing your thermostat a single degree warmer or colder (depending on the season) can save 6 to 8 percent on energy costs.
• Telecommute when possible, and encourage carpooling commutes are necessary. Every commute uses money, time, and gas.
• Institute a recycling program, and to switch to recycled paper and water-based printer inks.
• Add plants to the workplace. A live plant is an excellent air filtration system in a closed environment.
• Open the blinds on sunny days, and close the blinds at night. The sun will warm your office during the day, and closing the blinds will trap in the heat overnight.
• Replace aging desktop computers with laptops instead, which can use up to 70 percent less electricity and generate less heat waste.
• Have unused computers quickly switch to "sleep" mode.
• Turn off any equipment that doesn't need to be on, and unplug any equipment that does not need to be plugged in overnight. Every computer that remains on overnight and every coffee pot left plugged in uses electricity and costs you money.
• Bring back the errand-boy or girl. Instead of having lots of employees running in and out of the office all day long, designate one person who can handle most or all of the out-of-office tasks in one trip, whether it's picking up lunch, dropping off mail at the post office, or making deliveries.
• Use non-aerosol air fresheners in your office kitchen and bathrooms.
• Use eco-friendly urinal blocks. Many of the standard urinal blocks are environmentally hazardous.
• Use mats and floor coverings made of recycled, and repurposed materials wherever possible.
• Clean accidents and stains immediately to prevent the spread of the mess, and hard-to-remove, or permanent, stains.

Green Links

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Green Seal

United States Green Building Council (USGBC)

EPA Design for the Environment (DFE)

EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG)

EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Healthy Schools Campaign

Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)

Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC)

Hospitals for Healthy Environment

The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association (ISSA)

Green Guard

Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI)

Green Cleaning University

Pennsylvania Green Building and Operations Maintenance Manual

The Ashkin Group