Now that Earth Day has come and passed, hopefully you took a few ideas away from the fairs and festivals to practice at home.  But, what about the place where you spend 40 hours a week?  That’s right, the office.  Not only can you save the company a bit of cash, but you can do your part to conserve resources.  By recycling where possible we can reduce the amount of energy used to create new products.   Here are some ideas to explore at your next company meeting:

 

 

 

• Recycle paper products – to find a recycling facility in your area check out Earth 911. Click here to customize a poster to inform employees about the recycling effort. 
• Return bottles and cans – use the money to throw a party quarterly.
• Use reusable cups instead of disposable ones, also use the same cup all day, just like being at home.
• Carpool or ride a bike if possible.
• Use a cooler, and reusable dishes for your lunch instead of plastic bags.
• If you go out to lunch, eat at the restaurant instead of getting it to go. Not only will you get a much needed break, but you will also be reducing the number of Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) containers being thrown into the dumpster.  Only about 10% of expanded polystyrene is recycled, partially because of inconvenient recycling locations.
• Drink tap water instead of bottled – the oil used in the production, transportation and disposal of a bottle of water is, on average, equal to filling that bottle one-fourth of the way with oil, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.  Yuck!
• Unplug computers and other electronic devices to save on Vampire Power.

I’m sure there are a million other great ideas to conserve resources while at work.  What are some that you do?