Many companies waste resources every day, especially electricity and paper because people often do not turn off lights or recycle paper products in their work environment. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends decreasing the consumption of natural resources, like gas, water and coal, by reducing the energy demand. In doing so, companies can help keep the environment clean and save money on utilities. By making small adjustment at your office, you can help your work environment become more energy efficient.
Conserve Lights
Many offices do not turn off their lights when not in use, which wastes an enormous amount of energy. Turn off lights in conference rooms after meetings. In addition, installing automatic light controls or lights with sensors can help reduce energy consumption. Finally, rather than leaving office lights on after hours or on the weekends, turn them off when the office is empty.
Reduce Paper
Limiting paper use is another simple way to reduce resource consumption. Rather than printing every e-mail, start organizing your e-mails in folders in your e-mail program and only print an e-mail if it is necessary. Instead of writing a memos on paper, communicate by voice mail, e-mail and electronic files. Have your employees send faxes using a computer modem, rather than a traditional office fax machine.
Recycle
Set up a recycling program throughout your office. Have your company recycle paper from the printers and copy machines. Encourage workers to recycle plastic and glass bottles used during lunch and breaks.
Use Energy Star Equipment
You can purchase or lease Energy Star office equipment, such as printers, fax machines, copy machines or computers. Look for Energy Star products that go into sleep mode after a certain time of inactivity. According to the U.S. Department of Energy website, Energy Star computers use 70 percent less electricity than computers without this designation.
Turn Off Equipment
Turn off equipment that is not being used. Conserve energy by manually turning off monitors, rather than keeping a screen-saver on, which does not save energy. Unplug equipment because a small quantity of power is still in use even when a machine is turned off. Plug equipment into a power strip, where you can stop the power flow to multiple machines with one switch.
