5 Tips on How to Encourage Your Employees to Be More Eco-Friendly

Why going green should be a lifestyle rather than a trend should become apparent to anyone who takes a habitual glance through the window. We will not hereby dwell on the causes of the environmental crisis, but rather on the ways to change our harmful habits and practices.

Seeing as we spend the most time at the office, it naturally follows that we need to start there.

It is upon business owners to think about solar panels and other alternative energy sources, but every employee can contribute to a healthier and more eco-friendly workspace. Not all steps in that direction are grandiose or expensive. In fact, most of them require one component only — some goodwill and a little effort.

Let’s take a look at some ideas.

1. Bring in Plants

Let’s start with the simplest thing everyone can do: buy some plants and bring them to the office. A greener office is certain to not only be more eco-friendly but also more employee-friendly. Who in the world likes dwelling in a dungeon every single laborious day?

The only thing you need to consider when choosing the plants is — which ones can thrive in your office. Not all plants are equally demanding; you need to think about lighting, air-conditioning, and watering. Obviously, the best choice are the plants that need little input. Think in terms of bamboo. A bamboo needs some water and that’s it. Whether it’s light or gloomy outside, it won’t care much.

Other not-so-demanding plants include devil's ivy, ZZ plants, jade plants, snake plants, succulents, and peace lily.

2. Be Clever in Everyday Activities

Another easy step is to ditch harmful habits. There are many things we do instinctively that can be avoided. In addition, some simple hacks to the actual workspace can help you use less energy for everyday activities.

Here are some ideas:

• Replace standard bulbs with CFLs or LED bulbs (they use ca. 75% less energy than standard light bulbs).
• Paint the walls of the office in light colors so that less lighting is needed.
• Use cloth towels or hand dryers instead of paper towels.
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products.

These are the things everyone can do, and they are not really that expensive. Start with small things first!

3. Go Paperless

One way or another, the matter of paper usage is always on top. With recycling going ever stronger and new technologies here to save the day, paper can be, in most cases, completely replaced.

For example, using a laptop or a tablet for your meeting agenda is now common practice. You will rarely see volumes of printouts being distributed and that’s one obvious benefit of the new technologies.

You can go one step further, and with ease. For example, ditch those paper glasses for a mug. Not only is the practice eco-friendly, but your coffee will also taste better!

4. Use Eco-Friendly Office Equipment

Updating office equipment is, admittedly, an expensive endeavor, but it always pays off in the end. Since the life-cycle of the equipment isn’t endless, think about investing a bit more into eco-friendly replacements.

Here are some ideas:

• Replace traditional printers with multifunctional devices. In this way, you won’t have to use multiple machines for multiple purposes, which, in itself, makes the investment cheaper. No matter how expensive a multifunctional device may be, it is certainly cheaper than multiple devices. Choose a model with energy-saving features to top it off.
• Re-fill used ink and toner cartridges instead of buying new ones.
• Use recycled paper.
• Print on both sides of a sheet when you have to make printouts.
• Buy green office supplies like staple-less staplers and refillable pens.
• Use recycled plastic products if you must use plastic.
• Recycle used office supplies. To that end, place a recycle bin in every office.
• Keep computers and monitors updated. Newer models are more energy-efficient than older ones.
• Turn off computers when they’re not in use

Out of these suggestions, how many things can you do at home? Think along those lines to build new, more eco-friendly habits in the long run.

5. Educate Yourself

Finally, it’s easy to be sensible when you’re aware of what can be done. There are also many other things you’re unaware of, so educate yourself on what you can do to be more eco-friendly in your actions.

Some businesses have started sustainability teams to that end, which, when done right, can be both educational and fun. Think in terms of workshops and team-building activities everyone will enjoy. Why not organize a collection of old newspapers or office printouts? Employees can bring them to be recycled. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Use your imagination!

Conclusion

As you can see, a lot can be done to be more eco-friendly, and not just when it comes to building good karma. Many things don’t cost money — everyone can bring their favorite mug from home, for example. The point is — make your office a place you like to spend time. It can’t be that difficult, after all.

Angela Ash is an expert writer, editor and marketer, with a unique voice and expert knowledge. She focuses on topics related to remote work, freelancing, entrepreneurship and more.