How to 'green' your office

Waste

 Reducing

• Put signs up to show how staff can double-side copy or print, posted within readable distance of each photocopier and printer, and make staff aware of this.

Reusing

• Start collecting used postage stamps from staff and donate them to a charitable reuse scheme (such as RNIB's stamp scheme).
• Recycle all of your used printer and/or toner cartridges and keep a log of the numbers and dates sent.
• Establish a stationery reuse system or collection point which can be accessed by staff in order to avoid throwing functioning stationery, such as ring binders, away.

Recycling

Make sure that there are enough paper recycling bins throughout the office for all staff to easily recycle their waste paper:

• at least one paper recycling bin per office
• in open plan offices, at least one paper recycling bin per ten desk-based members of staff
• paper recycling bins by each photocopier and printer.

Electricity

 Awareness

Put energy-awareness stickers and posters up encouraging staff to switch off lights and/or equipment when not needed. Date the posters to show when they were put up and, ideally, refresh them every 12 months to keep them noticeable. If your office is located in a listed building, only put up posters and stickers where permissible.

Air conditioning

If your office has portable or fixed air conditioning, ensure that the doors and windows in all air conditioned rooms are kept closed when the air conditioning is on.

Lighting

Label all banks of three or more light switches in order to identify which lights each switch operates.

Switching off

Have an up-to-date written lighting and equipment responsibility plan (see further information below) covering all the main areas and key equipment within the department, and make sure that all relevant staff have been made aware of the plan.

Have a comprehensive shut-down checklist for holidays and ensure that all staff have been briefed on it.

Heating

Do a basic walk-around in order to identify areas in the office which are being heated unnecessarily and take action to save energy as required.

Travel

Cycling

Promote the following to staff:

• the nearest cycle storage facility
• the nearest shower and changing facilities
• details of the cycle-to-work scheme, if applicable (see further information below).

Season ticket loans

Promote your organisation’s season ticket loan scheme, if applicable.

Procurement

Water

Provide tap water for office meetings instead of bottled water.

Food

When purchasing food for meetings, ensure that the office meets at least two of the following:

• where possible, the produce is local and/or seasonal
• where possible, the produce is certified organic
• where possible, all fish is Marine Stewardship Council certified
• all eggs are free-range or Freedom Food certified
• the majority of the meat is free-range or Freedom Food
  certified
• the majority of food provided is vegetarian.

Tea and coffee

If the office buys any tea or coffee for consumption, it is all Fairtrade

Paper

Make sure that plain A4 white copier paper bought by the office meets at least one of the following options:

• made from 70% recycled paper
• made from National Association of Paper Merchants' (see further information below) accredited recycled paper
• made from pulp from certified sustainable sources (see further information below).

Greening teams, actions and communications

Communication is the most important tool to ensure that colleagues buy-in to playing their part in 'greening' the office. Here are some suggestions:

• identify, rank and document what the office believes are its five most significant negative environmental impacts (see further information below)
• formally induct all new staff on relevant environmental issues within their role
• make sure that the office has a well-labelled notice board, or significant section of a notice board, dedicated to communicating environmental issues.