Employees: ways to be greener :Cross Stitch – Environment and greener living

Greener living doesn’t stop when you leave the house. There are many things you can do at work to help the environment and tackle climate change. You may be able to get your employer or trade union interested too.

Help reduce your impact on the environment by dealing responsibly with the waste you produce at work.

Recycling and recycled products

You can champion recycling at work by:

• ensuring there are paper recycling bins close to desks or printers
• asking your employer for separate recycling bins for glass, paper and plastics
• encouraging your boss to buy recycled office paper

Switching equipment off

Cutting energy wastage will help reduce climate change impacts as well as saving money.

Wherever it’s safe to do so, turn off electrical equipment overnight or when it’s not being used. Don’t forget computer monitors and other equipment that often gets left on standby – and unplug things where possible. You can also make sure any lights that aren’t being used are switched off.

Printing

If you want to lessen the carbon footprint from printing, you could think about:

• reducing the size of documents and printing double-sided to save paper
• suggesting changing printing settings so double-sided printing is the default
• adding the slogan ‘Think before you print’ to the bottom of emails

EcoTeams is a project run by an organisation called Global Action Plan. They bring together groups of people – for example, in workplaces – to make small changes to reduce their environmental impact. The Global Action Plan website can tell you more about how to start an EcoTeam (there is a charge for the materials).