The top 10 ways UK offices have gone ‘green’
With so much emphasis now being placed on going green, and rightly so, it’s great to see that many work places are getting on board with this and making small changes to help contribute towards a greener planet. Considering we spend the majority of our time in work, I think that’s a great move and I hope that any more large organisations follow suite!
Recently there was a recent survey made by Seareach to find what makes your office green and which elements play an important part towards an improved workspace. It turns out that the most popular ways to make an office greener were to store work digitally, at 20%, with offering bike facilities very low at just 6%. Using LED bulbs, something so simple and inexpensive, was at just 12% and using plants and natural light at just 3%.
I think it’s interesting to see that although many large offices are making these changes, many are not, and I think a lot of that is down to being unaware of just how important these small changes can be.
Seareach offered some great tips on how you can make those small changes in the work place for a greener environment.
Go paperless – Scan and archive paperwork to help to move completely digital. The more you can store digitally and the less paper you use, the more you will transform your office into becoming green.
Label recycling waste bins – Clearly labelling your waste bins will help and encourage staff to recycle. With clear and concise instructions, it makes it easier for employees to follow.
Solar panels for electricity – Enable you to have lighting and run lower power appliances. The photovoltaic cells use the sun’s energy to provide a green renewable energy source.
Installing LED bulbs – The energy consumption of LED lights can be up to a 75% saving, compared to halogen bulbs. This results in much less energy required and is a cost-effective effort towards your office running costs.
Green heating – The cheapest source for heating and is very efficient. Easy & cheap to install and performs well.
Reusable water bottle(s) – Bring in your own water bottle that can be refilled at work. From this, you’ll reduce the number of discarded plastic bottles.
Bike facilities – Providing a bike rack can encourage employees to cycle to work, cutting down pollution and helping with general health and fitness.
Electric car charging points – Electric cars provide more energy efficiency up to 85-90%, over ICE (Internal Combustion Engines). These are overall much greener and don’t require expensive fossil fuels in order to operate.
Motion-detection lights – Having these all-around communal areas helps improves energy efficiency. These can be ideal in seldom used rooms or shared rooms, such as small meeting rooms. This will save energy if people are in and out and often forget to turn off lights.
Plants and natural light – Having plants in your office will aesthetically soften the work areas with boring colours and can help oxygenate the office.
I love how simply bringing your own water bottle can make a huge difference to the number of plastic water bottles discarded, or cycling to work instead of travelling by car. These ideas are so achievable and I think it’s so important to share these tips to a wider audience to inspire others to do the same. After all, the more we can educate others the more we can work together to put these ideas into practice.
** This is a collaborative post **
