words Al Woods
Being green and sustainability are the buzzwords on the street. Every business needs to be seen to be taking these important issues to heart and make changes that are in line with the net zero end game. If you are not doing anything, then you may eventually find that you lose customers and staff and even lose the ability to make your products and services as time goes by. Clearly, this is not what you want to happen. The good news is you can start on the road to a greener future by upgrading your office space. Let’s have a look at a few ways you can do this:
Natural Light
You want to make the most of the free light coming through the windows. More natural light is good for you in so many ways. First of all, it brightens up your office space so people can see more clearly. It is good for your staff by heightening their mood and making them more productive, and it is free. At a time when prices are increasing, you want to try and reduce your expenses as much as you can. Less lighting means a lower electricity bill. Ways to increase light in your office space include getting new windows, and using great glass manufacturers to fit out your walls with the desired amount of glass is essential. You could also get skylights if you have internal walls which block lights, why not replace them with walls with windows, or remove the barriers completely and have all open plan? You could also paint the walls lighter and add mirrors to maximise the natural light coming into the office.
Plants
Adding plants into an office space can reduce your need for plugged-in air purifiers saving your electric bill a little more. Plants naturally purify the air, removing toxins and breathing out fresh, clean air. They can even keep the place warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, helping you reduce your heating and cooling systems. They also have the added benefit of improving your staff’s mood and boosting productivity.
Go Paperless
If your business sends out letters a lot, why not encourage all your customers to go paperless? You should also ensure that you are paperless with all your suppliers and utilities too. For meetings, can you send out PDFs rather than give handouts? Investigate all the paper used in your office and find places you can reduce this.
Recycle Used Office Items
You can recycle pretty much anything. And you should encourage employees to do this with bottles, paper and plastics. But you may not be aware that most office suppliers also offer recycling services. For example, when you are finished with your great HP 963XL printer cartridges, you can send them back to CartridgeSave for safe disposal and recycling.
Solar Panels
If you own your office building, then why not see if you can install solar panels? When you need to use electricity during the day, it will be free. If you have a lot of electric cars, then solar panels will pay for themselves in a short space of time. You may even be able to sell some electricity back to the grid. Unfiotutely there is a very real threat of scheduled blackouts at the moment and having a free source of electricity that isn’t a diesel or petrol generator is a very wise thing to do.
