Manage Green at the Office

The campaign for "going green" has grown considerably over the last 12 months. As fuel prices, utility bills, and even the cost of food have risen dramatically over that span, more and more people have begun to seek ways to reduce those costs and to do so in an environmentally friendly way.

Ways to individually help the environment are numerous, as many people have begun driving less, turning lights off when a room isn't in use, and even wasting less when it comes to food. But going green can also be done on a much grander scale, as offices across the country are beginning to embrace a more environmentally conscious way of conducting business. Offices looking to go green will find that the following tips not only help the environment, but often the bottom line as well.

* Replace desktop computers with laptops: Desktop computers are not very efficient, using far more energy than laptops. A laptop computer helps the environment in two noticeable ways. First and foremost, laptops use less energy than dekstops. Secondly, laptops can be used both in the office and at home, allowing workers to telecommute more effectively, which will lessen reliance on oil and help reduce air pollution as less people will be driving to work each day.

* Reduce paper usage: Perhaps nothing is more wasteful in most offices than paper usage. Unnecessary use of paper adds hundreds of pounds of waste each year. In lieu of printing documents, embrace e-mail as a more environmentally (not to mention faster) way of sharing documents. In addition, if sending invoices to clients, e-mail them as a means of saving paper as well as saving on costs associated with postage.

* Provide coffee mugs to employees: Disposable paper cups and plates are another major source of office waste. In lieu of paper cups, provide employees with resusable coffee mugs or suggest they bring in their own.

* Recycle appliances: Many appliances can be recycled or donated to charity even if they're no longer useful to a business. Old cell phones, for example, can be refurbished and given to low-income families. The same can be said for older computers. Rather than discarding such items, recycle them and help the environment while helping the less fortunate as well.

* Use water filters on kitchen taps: Companies that provide bottled water to their employees are thoughtful in doing so, but there's a more environmentally friendly way to provide employees with clean drinking water. Put a water filter on taps rather than offering bottled water, which produces large numbers of wasteful containers.

* Turn the lights off at the end of the day: While most offices turn lights off at the end of the day, dimmer lights typically stay on, which is often an unnecessary step to take. If dimmers must be left on, set them on a timer so even they are turned off later at night when the last employee has typically gone home for the day.