25 Ways to Go Green in the Office

This is a collaborative post was armed with input from readers and friends with the intention of giving some advice to a more sustainable office.

The initiative began on Twitter, where we picked up the tweets with the hashtag #25EcoTips; and then moved to the Facebook page, where we take the comments left us. In any case, the only requirement was to make a small contribution to that anyone could replicate the idea and make your workspace a greener place friendlier to the environment.

After a quick edit to accommodate and integrate those ideas that somehow is repeated, the result was this list of 25 environmental tips to apply to your office:

1. To store digital information, use re-writable CD or USB flash drives. So you generate less waste.
2. You can save ink when printing using EcoFont, software that "pierces" the letters of your font.
3. Use products #FSC (origin of wood certificate that guarantees responsible production), both for paper products to office furniture, floating floors and every element that comes from wood.
4. Adheres to digital bank statements and performs virtual payments to save paper. Failing that, choose leaders who circulate by bicycle, to avoid the emission of gaseous pollutants from your suppliers.
5. Spaces filled with plants to offset your CO2 emissions and remember watering at night, to avoid wasting water through evaporation in times of heat (well, you can collect rainwater and drinking not use resources).
6. Take off the habit of going through Google or any other search engine if you already know the page that you want to reach. If you go straight, you save energy in your computer and servers running somewhere in the world so that you can navigate.
7. Invite your mates to use their own cups, avoiding disposable. Preferably also buy packaging "family" (packs of 1 kg) of sugar, coffee or tea and not those who come in individual envelopes, as save paper, transportation costs and CO2 production.
8. In winter, no heating environments in excess, because then you end up opening the windows "for air" and wasting energy you were used to temper the office. Remember to heat, any system is preferable to electric.
9. In summer, the ideal is to regulate the air-conditioning in 24 ° and all the rooms are closed and protected with translucent curtains in the windows through which the sun shines directly doors. When purchasing equipment, consider your level of energy efficiency (in the AF scale, the products "A" are best).
10. When planning lighting, it is ideal to have natural light into account, as it not only saves energy but also improves the climate in the office.
11. When purchasing lamps and tubes, choose low power because they use 1/4 of the energy used by traditional and last 8-10 times. But be careful because when no longer useful, gas captured within them is toxic and requires special treatment from waste. LED lamps are even more efficient.
12. To heat the water down infusions, it is preferable to use gas to an electric kettle. And is not recommended in the corridors there is a dispenser that have permanently hot and cold water available (and if any, should not go on all night!).
13. Recycle! Before pulling what they consider no longer useful, they invite their peers to think of a new utility that allows reuse anything. For example, with pieces of Durlock it is very easy to make blackboards or the basis for a pan pots.
14. Review the document on the screen before printing it and do it only if they are really necessary. If they feel they need a hard copy, you can select and print only the relevant part, not the whole document.
15. Discard leaves both printers as photocopying, may become small notebooks and notepads recycled.
16. Configure all printers default to double-sided printing and ink saving mode. If you have good eyesight, they can be printed with the "Two pages per sheet" (if we add the two-sided, four pages on one sheet take).
17. At the end of the day or go to lunch, turn off the monitor, disconnect plugs and / or extension cords to avoid the obsolete consumption. Use guards with short dark screen and save energy. Did you know that one computer turned on overnight consumes the energy needed to print 10,000 copies? Do not waste it
18. You can have a space to gather dry paper and cardboard can no longer be used, to bring initiatives such Fund. Garrahan. And you can also separate the rest of municipal solid waste and take them to the nearest recycling cooperative. And instead of throwing garbage and organic waste, or leave them on the plants in the garden, as they serve as fertilizer.
19. If the work permits, you can help your employees work from home, avoiding unnecessary transport and thus CO2 emissions.
20. Before taking the elevator, thinking that some physical activity is not bad. And I chose the stairs!
21. If the distance or the weather or the type of work you do not allow you to go to work by bicycle, the most efficient option is public transport. And if you decide to take your car, invite a colleague to carpool.
22. If your company are so good that they offer free drinks, you can propose other than cans or individual packages, but family; and share them thoroughly. Also, remember to avoid soft drinks not only makes your good health but also you reduce your water footprint of consumption (and your office).
23. Spread your closest to replicate your practices in their own offices providers.
24. Turn your office into a "facilitator space" for your customers or users to join your practice and enhance your results (e.g. in the recycling of plastic caps or waste separation from neighbors or the consortium building )
25. Avoid unnecessary travel when you can incorporate new technologies for your meetings (video conferences, Google+ hangouts, meet on Skype, etc.) and training (offer online education is increasingly attractive).