10 Steps To A Greener Workplace

Wednesday 9 May, 2007

by Max Thomson

Here are 10 tips that will significantly reduce the environmental footprint of a typical office without breaking the bank.

It seems that after many years in the wilderness, if you will excuse the awful pun, "green" design is coming of age. Whether it is fear of imminent global disaster, or more mundane competitive instincts, many corporate organisations have firmly planted their feet in the green camp.  

Occasionally a new icon of sustainable building will appear on the city skyline. But what of the vast majority of companies who are tenants and do not have the resources or opportunity to build or move to eco-friendly offices?

What can they do that is a meaningful contribution to sustainability?

1. Sign up for 'green power'
   
   Most of the major energy retailers offer green power options and the cost is negligible.
   
2. Invest in plants
   
   Not just a ragged ficus starved of daylight in the reception area, but a major landscaping project. A good benchmark is one 300mm pot per person. There has been a great deal of research, that shows the efficacy of plants in removing Volatile Organic Compounds from the air reduces Sick Building Syndrome.
   
3. Turn the lights off
   
   Look around the office and see what lights are on in rooms that are not occupied. Even in the open plan areas, there is a widely held belief that bright is better. This is not the case and many companies are installing intelligent systems which switch off whole banks of lights when sufficient daylight is doing the job instead.
   
4. N-up and double-side
   
   Most newer printers offer the facility to print not only on both sides of a piece of paper but also as two or even four pages to a sheet. We are all guilty of printing drafts of documents, but by using N-up and double-side printing a 40 page document will fit on 5 sheets.
   
5. Clean up
   
   Sure the cleaner comes in at the weekend to clean the general space but what about behind the scenes? An annual clean of the air-conditioning ductwork can substantially increase performance of the system and the health of your staff.
   
6. Recycle
   
   If you are not recycling your paper, PET bottles, and glass, then start. If you are already recycling, make sure that it is actually happening. Great efforts by individuals come to nothing if the cleaning contractors simply lump everything into the same landfill-bound bin.
   
7. Green furniture
   
   Many of the major furniture suppliers have adopted sound environmental practices in their production cycle for office furniture while others stock products which use recycled materials and non-toxic finishes. When looking for replacement office furniture, aim to use suppliers that have accreditation. Better still, buy second hand and prolong the life of an existing piece that would otherwise be consigned to the landfill. Similarly, recycle your second hand furniture when you are refurbishing. You will find that new doors on a cabinet will make it look like new, or sell your furniture on to another company to generate some additional funds for your refurbishment.
   
8. Turn off
   
   Most computers have in-built power saving technologies to power down the hard drive and screens in periods of non-use. Get these activated and ask everyone to turn off their computers at night. It not only saves the power from the computer itself but also reduces the demand on the air-conditioning. A computer puts out the same amount of heat as a person.
   
9. Less cars
   
   There are many ways to reduce car use amongst staff that just take some effort. Promote car pooling by advising your staff who lives near them, invest in some bike racks if the landlord will let you, hand around bus timetables, and lead by example.
   
10. Hassle your landlord
    
    If the building you are in takes up green initiatives as much as you, the efforts will be substantially enhanced. There are many areas which the landlord can control including water consumption in the amenities and power use in the common areas. They will want to keep their tenants happy.

Being green is far easier than you might think and while the rewards are sometimes intangible, healthy staff is one effect that will pay dividends to your company from day one.

Author Credits

Max Thomson is a Director at hamiltonthomson, a project management company which specialises in the design and construction of corporate projects. Over a 20 year career, Max has worked internationally on a wide variety of design challenges from large scale corporate offices to building imaginary "other worlds" for tele-movies. Max is a past Committee Member of the Green Buildings Council of Australia and chaired the technical working group which wrote the current Green Star rating tool for interior projects. If you would like more information on this topic, please contact Clare Foale on +61 2 9437 5022; email: clare@hamiltonthomson.com.au or visit the web site: www.hamiltonthomson.com.au