From the article: The Green Office Guide
Mountains of waste paper. Office machines and supplies loaded with toxic parts and toxic chemicals. The power drain of computers, printers and air conditioners. The typical office makes a pretty deep environmental footprint - and a big opportunity to make a difference. What are your tips for going green in the office? Share Your Green Tips
Toners
- Get your toners and cartridges refilled at your local cartridge shop rather than buying new ones.
- —Guest Hannah
Daylight
- I work from home and I've put together an "office in a box" so that I can easily move my stuff off the dining room table. The dining room has the best amount of daylight in the house. When I do need to turn on the lights - on very cloudy days, or for work before daybreak - I use a floor lamp with energy-saving bulbs.
- —Guest Trish
Turn the lights off
- Simple and should be easy, but I see so many office buildings with lights on over night - why? Just turn them off when you are done for the day! "Earth Hour" should happen each day, not just once a year.
- —halyma
packing material
- I sell a little jewelry and related supplies on Etsy.com, so I try to reuse packaging material from my own purchases through the mail. Also, scrap paper can be used for this as well.
- —TammyP1
Print to PDF
- I print to PDF using free PDF software instead of printing on actual paper. It's great when for printing receipts after online purchases and then I can save them in a folder for tax time.
- —timfisher
Going green in a school
- One of the schools I visit during the day as a consultant, saves on a mountain of paper generated by students printing. The only printer available to them is a PDF printer, so any assignments are saved as PDF files which the teacher reviews and then prints a paper copy only if necessary.
- —Guest Wendy
Turn it Off
- Switching the computer and any other machines (printers etc) is imperative. It's also a drag, closing down and all that but I need a silent office when I leave it, silent and green.
- —ElaineLemm
Reusing paper
- When you have paper that can't run through the printer a second time (crumpled, torn, wrong size), instead of sending it to the recycling bin, make a pile and use it as "scratch" paper for taking notes and making lists instead of purchasing notepads or using virgin paper.
- —french
