The 10-point green office plan

You can't create a green office without individuals doing the right thing, but what any individual can do is maximised by a team approach. Help create an environmentally conscious work culture by harnessing the goodwill and commitment of all. Start with the simple actions that involve everyone. Here are our 10 top tips to begin.

green office action plan

1. Choose eco-efficient machines

Turning off your computer when you aren't using it should be second nature, but what about those shared office machines that are left on all day? Here's where making the right decision is really important for your office eco-footprint and the budget. There are two good reason to invest in an energy-efficient office machine. First, the greatest source of carbon emissions is the embedded energy of consumables like paper and ink, so machine that allows double-sided printing and copying and efficient cartridge use makes good sense. Second, most operating energy is used to heating the components that fuse the toner to paper, so choose a machine that powers down while idle.

Look for Energy Star-compliant and enabled equipment. Efficient machines slash both the cost and carbon emissions associated with their own operation and, through producing less heat, those associated with office airconditioning. See our computing guide for more eco-efficiency tips.

2. Don't forget the components

Ever been surprised to discover the cost of buying a printer was cheap compared to the cost of consumables? Manufacturer warnings against reusing printer ink and toner cartridges contribute to Australians tossing more than 1,500 tonnes of toxic cartridges into landfill each year. Yet there's no real reason a cartridge can safely be reused up to at least four times, at as little as a tenth of the cost of a new cartridge.

Find a refiller who guarantees against any potential equipment damage or time lost from using their products. When replacing a machine, consider one with a long-lasting print drum that takes toner refills.

3. Flick the switch

This isn't just something to think about once a year when Earth Hour rolls around. Lighting accounts for more than 20 per cent of greenhouse emissions from commercial buildings – and the Australian Greenhouse Office estimates that figure could be reduced by as much as 70 per cent through simple measures. In many offices the lights burn long after workers have ceased to burn the midnight oil. It might make for a pretty skyline but, combined along with all those machines left on standby, it can double the energy bill. By eliminating inefficient and unnecessary lighting you will also reduce heat, reducing the cost of air-conditioning.

Ask your building manager to turn lights off at night or to install movement-activated sensors.
Take the initiative by placing reminders near light switches in the area you work.

4. Buy recycled ...

This goes for everything, but most important of all is paper You might still think of recycled paper as the stuff that jams the photocopier and has the texture of multigrain bread but these days it often impossible to distinguish between recycled and the "virgin" kind. Recycled paper manufacturers guarantee their products for just about every stationery need. Recycled paper uses up to 90 per cent less water and half the energy required to make paper from virgin timber, yet recycled content only makes about 5 per cent of the 1.2 million tonnes of printing and writing paper used in Australia annually.

Just do it. If more people bought recycled paper, economies of scale would soon make it cheaper than pulping native forests.

5. Turn over an old leaf

Even though recycled paper saves trees, any production process still uses a significant amount of energy. By avoiding waste you avoid the unnecessary consumption of raw resources to start with. It's as simple using both sides of a sheet of paper.

Keep a tray to collect single-side printed scrap paper for note paper or printing draftss.
Format documents to avoid printing unnecessary pages and make the effort to proofread on screen rather than hitting the print button again and again.
Have a paper-recycling box – and separate bins for organic waste and recyclable containers.

6. Furnish for the future

Make a stand even when you're sitting. Traditional office furnishings are resource-intensive and can increase indoor air pollution through emitting volatile organic compounds from their glues and finishes.

Choose eco-friendly furniture and floor coverings made from recycled or sustainably harvested non-toxic materials and designed so they can be dissembled for reuse. The Melbourne-based manufacturer Wharington, for example, makes chairs from recovered railway sleepers, old phones, computer casings and vacuum cleaners.
Alternatively, buy good-quality second-hand furniture to save the resources required to make new items.

7. Get green in the kitchen

Decent kitchen facilities enable staff to bring and prepare their own food, which is usually cheaper, healthier and produces less waste than buying takeaway food. An eco-friendly kitchen should also make it easy to recycle discarded packaging and leftovers, with at least three (well-labelled) bins: one for recycling plastic, glass and aluminium containers; a second for organic matter, which can be composted; and a third for anything left over that must go into landfill.

Avoid throwaway items and invest in the real thing, or choose eco-friendly alternatives made from recycled plastic or biodegradable bamboo.
Choose organic and Fairtrade brands for beverages.

8. Think of the paper work

Serviettes, toilet paper and handtowels can make up as much as a third of the volume of office waste. Choose products made from recycled paper or tree-free alternatives such as kenaf or hemp fibre. Recycled products are now just as strong, soft, absorbent, hygienic and even aesthetically pleasing as those made from virgin timber.

Reusable and laundered roll towels can be cheaper than paper towels, and make for less waste in your washroom.
A hand dryers is an option, but only if your electricity is green power.

9. Be the branch office

Indoor plants act as natural air filters, absorbing airborne pollutants and computer radiation while replenishing oxygen levels. They are also natural air coolers, through the evaporative process of transpiration. Research shows indoor plants significantly reduce the incidence of fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses as well as having a measurable effect in reducing stress.

Give your work colleagues a plant as a gift, rather than the usual bottle of wine or voucher. It is the gift that keeps on giving – and is more likely to thrive when it has a personal owner responsible for watering it.

10. Cleaners, not pollutants

Keeping your office clean shouldn't contribute to indoor pollution. Yet studies show that many common cleaning products contain toxic contaminants at levels that can pose risks to human health and the environment. Symptoms include sore eyes, noses and throats, headaches, dizziness and fatigue. When those cleaning products get washed down the drain the long-term environmental consequences include contamination of ground water and bioaccumulation in plants and animals.