Post by seacid on Jul 9, 2007 16:37:59 GMT 8
What You Can Do – Top 10 Things You Can Do At Work
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Most of us spend a third of our day at the office – and that's not
counting the commute. Apply these energy-saving tips in the workplace to
reduce stress on yourselves and on the planet.
1. Turn off the lights. Remember to hit the switch on your way out for
that well-deserved lunch break. The energy savings from 10 million
employees turning off unneeded lights for 30 minutes a day is enough to
illuminate 50 million square feet of office space.
2. Get off mailing lists. The last thing you need is another office supply
catalog or credit card offer on your desk. Before tossing out junk mail,
call the company's toll-free service number and ask that your name be
removed from the mailing list. Have online retailers e-mail you instead.
Almost half of all catalogs are never opened, yet nearly 62 million trees
are destroyed and 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce them
every year.
3. Put your monitor to sleep. Whether it shows off your vacation photos or
a cool 3D animation, a computer screen saver is not at all designed for
energy efficiency. It's intended to save your screen from "burn in," not
to save energy. Because monitors are responsible for more than one-third
of a computer's energy consumption – even with screen savers – the best
way to conserve energy is to set the monitor to sleep or power off when
you're away for an extended period. If you're gone for 5-10 minutes, enjoy
one of CI's screen savers. Any longer than that, put the monitor to sleep.
4. Use the stairs. Your brain gets exercise all day, why not exercise your
body? Get your heart pumping by taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
It's good for your health, and it saves electricity.
5. Make your printer's toner last. Being cheap is a first date no-no, but
it's okay to be frugal at the office. When printing rough drafts or
documents for internal purposes, change the printer's settings to economy
mode and avoid color if possible. Econo-mode uses up to 50 percent less
toner and prints twice as many pages as other higher quality settings.
Duplex printing also uses half the amount of paper.
6. Provide incentives for commuters. Free food and a year-end bonus are
nice perks, but to really make workers happy, help ease their daily
commute. The government rewards businesses that encourage their staff to
carpool, bicycle, or walk to work under the Commuter Choice Program.
Telecommuting and flexible work hours can also save employers by reducing
absences and job retention costs.
Share rides or Use public transport.
7. Recycle and reuse paper. Americans toss out about 35 million tons of
paper each year. Buck the trend and start recycling – not only standard
white printer paper, but all of the magazines, manila folders, and colored
post-it notes that decorate your space. If it tears, it can be recycled.
Recycled paper manufacturing generates 74 percent less air pollution, and
saves trees, water, and energy. To salvage papers that are printed on one
side only, flip them over and use for incoming faxes.
8. Purchase 100 percent post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. Take
note when buying paper – the higher the percentage of post-consumer waste,
the larger the amount of recycled material is contained in the paper
stock. This means that 100 percent post-consumer waste paper is made
entirely from recycled products. Also, chlorine used for bleaching is one
of the biggest polluters in the paper-making process. Choose
non-chlorinated paper, which has the same quality as the bleached variety.
9. Recycle and reuse office supplies. Do as Mom says and clean your plate,
literally. Washing and reusing the plastic dishes and cutlery you get with
take-away food is an easy way to cut down on waste at work. Better yet,
pack your lunch in reusable containers and pocket your hard-earned
dollars!
Skip the paper (or worse, Styrofoam) cups and refill your travel mug at
the nearby coffee shop instead. It may even get you a discount. Besides
aluminum cans and glass bottles, there are many other supplies stashed in
and around your desk that are recyclable, such as batteries, printer
cartridges, DVDs, CDs, and more.
10. Curb phantom electricity. Many appliances still consume energy even
when turned off. Items left plugged into the wall, such as a cell phone
charger or laptop adapter, can leak more than 20 watts of power. In the
United States alone, "phantom electricity" emits roughly 12 million tons
of carbon into the atmosphere. Avoid this by plugging office equipment
into a power strip and turning it off at night and on weekends.
p.s. If you are the CEO or CFO or HR manager. Pls. determine how many
employees BIKE to work.
As bikers, we often lack a bike rack to park our bicycles safely
and often times have to wash or shower before work.
Providing such little amenities will really go a long way.
If you are an entrepreneur, having a bike rack in front of your
establishment will certainly welcome your customers who
commute! It provides an incentive to visit your shop or cafe to one, that
doesn't.
For Home and OFFICE- Switch to compact flourescent light bulbs (CFLs)
-- which gives you similar amount of Lighting, but uses less energy!! :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of us spend a third of our day at the office – and that's not
counting the commute. Apply these energy-saving tips in the workplace to
reduce stress on yourselves and on the planet.
1. Turn off the lights. Remember to hit the switch on your way out for
that well-deserved lunch break. The energy savings from 10 million
employees turning off unneeded lights for 30 minutes a day is enough to
illuminate 50 million square feet of office space.
2. Get off mailing lists. The last thing you need is another office supply
catalog or credit card offer on your desk. Before tossing out junk mail,
call the company's toll-free service number and ask that your name be
removed from the mailing list. Have online retailers e-mail you instead.
Almost half of all catalogs are never opened, yet nearly 62 million trees
are destroyed and 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce them
every year.
3. Put your monitor to sleep. Whether it shows off your vacation photos or
a cool 3D animation, a computer screen saver is not at all designed for
energy efficiency. It's intended to save your screen from "burn in," not
to save energy. Because monitors are responsible for more than one-third
of a computer's energy consumption – even with screen savers – the best
way to conserve energy is to set the monitor to sleep or power off when
you're away for an extended period. If you're gone for 5-10 minutes, enjoy
one of CI's screen savers. Any longer than that, put the monitor to sleep.
4. Use the stairs. Your brain gets exercise all day, why not exercise your
body? Get your heart pumping by taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
It's good for your health, and it saves electricity.
5. Make your printer's toner last. Being cheap is a first date no-no, but
it's okay to be frugal at the office. When printing rough drafts or
documents for internal purposes, change the printer's settings to economy
mode and avoid color if possible. Econo-mode uses up to 50 percent less
toner and prints twice as many pages as other higher quality settings.
Duplex printing also uses half the amount of paper.
6. Provide incentives for commuters. Free food and a year-end bonus are
nice perks, but to really make workers happy, help ease their daily
commute. The government rewards businesses that encourage their staff to
carpool, bicycle, or walk to work under the Commuter Choice Program.
Telecommuting and flexible work hours can also save employers by reducing
absences and job retention costs.
Share rides or Use public transport.
7. Recycle and reuse paper. Americans toss out about 35 million tons of
paper each year. Buck the trend and start recycling – not only standard
white printer paper, but all of the magazines, manila folders, and colored
post-it notes that decorate your space. If it tears, it can be recycled.
Recycled paper manufacturing generates 74 percent less air pollution, and
saves trees, water, and energy. To salvage papers that are printed on one
side only, flip them over and use for incoming faxes.
8. Purchase 100 percent post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. Take
note when buying paper – the higher the percentage of post-consumer waste,
the larger the amount of recycled material is contained in the paper
stock. This means that 100 percent post-consumer waste paper is made
entirely from recycled products. Also, chlorine used for bleaching is one
of the biggest polluters in the paper-making process. Choose
non-chlorinated paper, which has the same quality as the bleached variety.
9. Recycle and reuse office supplies. Do as Mom says and clean your plate,
literally. Washing and reusing the plastic dishes and cutlery you get with
take-away food is an easy way to cut down on waste at work. Better yet,
pack your lunch in reusable containers and pocket your hard-earned
dollars!
Skip the paper (or worse, Styrofoam) cups and refill your travel mug at
the nearby coffee shop instead. It may even get you a discount. Besides
aluminum cans and glass bottles, there are many other supplies stashed in
and around your desk that are recyclable, such as batteries, printer
cartridges, DVDs, CDs, and more.
10. Curb phantom electricity. Many appliances still consume energy even
when turned off. Items left plugged into the wall, such as a cell phone
charger or laptop adapter, can leak more than 20 watts of power. In the
United States alone, "phantom electricity" emits roughly 12 million tons
of carbon into the atmosphere. Avoid this by plugging office equipment
into a power strip and turning it off at night and on weekends.
p.s. If you are the CEO or CFO or HR manager. Pls. determine how many
employees BIKE to work.
As bikers, we often lack a bike rack to park our bicycles safely
and often times have to wash or shower before work.
Providing such little amenities will really go a long way.
If you are an entrepreneur, having a bike rack in front of your
establishment will certainly welcome your customers who
commute! It provides an incentive to visit your shop or cafe to one, that
doesn't.
For Home and OFFICE- Switch to compact flourescent light bulbs (CFLs)
-- which gives you similar amount of Lighting, but uses less energy!! :-)