Saving The Planet
These days, the environment is on everyone’s mind. Not only is preserving the environment important for cultural and, for some, moral reasons, but most environment-saving moves also help save money. Greening your workplace will cut down on waste on clutter, creating a more profitable, more efficient workplace, while doing good for the world. Here are a list of some easy steps you can take to green your workplace:
1) Your Computer — Most people spend most of their day at their computers. While extremely helpful, computers can also be extremely energy-consuming. Make sure that your computers are on all energy-saving settings. If possible, use a laptop instead of a PC, as they use much less energy. Lastly, make sure you shut your comptuer down when you leave for the night, instead of simply putting them on standby or hibernate, during which periods they continue to draw energy.
2) Avoid Vampire Energy — Many appliances drain energy even when they are off. Try to unplug all appliances, such as printers, scanners, cell-phone chargers, and even lamps, when they’re not in use. Alternatively, you can plug all of these appliances into a power strip with an on/off switch and turn all of them off at once.
3) The Less Paper the Better — While it’s true that using recycled paper is better for the environment than using non-recycled paper, the recycling procress itself uses a lot of energy, and the chlorine used to bleach recycled paper can cause water pollution. If you are using paper, make sure you use paper with the minimum amount of chlorine and always print on both sides. Otherwise, go digital! With all of your documents on your computer (and backed up on your company’s network or an external harddrive) your office will be less cluttered and documents will always be easier to find. You can even edit documents effectively, using different colors for different users, showing step-by-step changes made, without ever printing them out.
4) No More Bottles — Millions of plastic bottles end up in landfills a year. The shipping of water takes an extraordinary amount of fuel and the sale of water in bottles and coolers discourages local governments from making sure that their citizen’s own water is clean enough to drink. Rid your office of water colors and vending machines. Instead, buy a filter and install it on each tap in the office. Similarly, stop buying styrofoam cups and instead have each employee bring in a mug for coffee and tea (alternatively, you can buy a set of mugs to be shared).
5) Lights On, Lights Off — Switch from incadescent lights to compact fluorescent lamps. Though they cost more, they last longer and use less energy. In addition, install automatic shut-offs for all lighting. According to one estimate, 44% of the electricity used in office builings is spent on lighting! Play it smart and switch to CFLs.
A smart CEO knows that he can help the environment while helping himself. Having the office band together around a common goal, such as creating a greener workplace, can also boost morale. Whether in real life or in a serious game such as The CEO Game, a CEO knows that going green is the way to go.
The CEO Game.
September 18th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
[...] Original post: 5 Tips For Saving The Planet And Saving Money. [...]
October 31st, 2009 at 1:07 am
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