Creating a Green Office

You may have heard the news. The planet is heading for some pretty catastrophic climate shifts unless we do something about it – and fast.

You don’t have to be David Attenborough to have an influence. The reality is that it’s down to us to make big changes. That means at home, at play, and at work.

Offices often play host to unsustainable practices. We’re not as conscious about the resources we’re using if we’re not physically paying for them, and this can lead to some pretty unsustainable habits. En masse, we’re causing the planet some serious damage. Time to change that by creating a green office, don’t you think?

 

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy isn’t just for homes. And, in the workplace, it doesn’t have to involve running on treadmills just to generate this month’s accounts. Creating a green office can start off simple with efficient light bulbs. UK law has recently banned halogen bulbs, so make sure your workplace is in the process of switching to LEDs. They may cost a tad more, but you’ll save on the amount of energy needed to make the bulb bright. In the long run, they’re way better value too.

Want to take it that bit further? Look at switching to a renewable energy provider, or creating the energy for yourselves using wind turbines and solar panels. At the Foundry 17 offices, Studio Illicit and all of our fellow businesses are powered by 100% renewable energy. Getting started is a lot easier than it sounds, and you can make a difference in no time.

 

Recycle… and use recycled products

Love is in the bin(s). One for non-recyclables (think: crisp packets and banana skins), and one for recyclables (think: cardboard boxes and scrap paper). And if your office doesn’t have separate bins, speak to the person in charge of making those decisions. Sorting your rubbish can have a huge impact on your office’s collective effort.

Using recycled products is an amazing way to support green industries and small businesses. For example, notebooks made from reworked paper, desk necessities and even recycled toilet paper!

 

and as for paper – who needs it?!

Paper is from a bygone age. In the era of the Cloud, printing is a thing of the past. Have a think before you hit Command-P because the chances are, whatever it is, it doesn’t need printing. Creating a green office is about kicking old habits – and embracing new tech to help us do that.

 

Offsetting Carbon Emissions

Being a responsible citizen of the world is about understanding how to balance necessary emissions with activities where we can deliberately reduce our emissions to offset the impact.

Offsetting carbon emissions is something Illicit has been doing for a while. It’s even in our Green Statement. Taking responsibility for our impact on the environment, we’ve partnered with climate and development experts, ClimateCare, to make sure that the emissions we produce from car travel, office energy and web hosting are offset using other methods.

 

Cycle to Work

Or, if you can ditch the car entirely, cycling is your next best bet.

Cycling takes some getting used to – I can vouch for that. Start with one day a week, and set off extra early, so you’re not stressing the mind as well as the body. If you live far from your place of work, check bike regulations for public transport; you might be able to take it part of the way and cycle the rest. Pretty soon, you’ll be whizzing past the traffic jams, feeling really pleased with yourself. And yeah, that’s totally allowed if you’re being green at the same time.

 

Spread the word

Here’s the deal: there is no deal. Talking about climate change isn’t something we dare each other to do around the water cooler. It’s not something to be ashamed of, and, chances are, most of your colleagues will be glad that you’re helping them to make a difference.

Putting energy and effort into creating a green office is more worthwhile that we may ever understand. Climate change isn’t a personal, solely domestic issue. It’s for all of us, after all. So let’s get to work!