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The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century

The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook

1001 Little Ways to Save Our Planet: Small Changes to Create a Greener, Eco-Friendly World

Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists

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How to Green Your Workplace

Regardless of whether you run your own business or are an employee at a large corporation, there are concrete steps you can take to make your workplace greener.

Reduce Paper Waste

Pay attention to the amount of paper that your office uses. To counteract paper waste:

Digitize: Print only those documents that you really need to work with in hard copy, such as forms you need to sign. Whenever possible, work with digital versions of your documents onscreen instead.
Get green printing software: GreenPrint software (www.printgreener.com) prevents wasteful printing to help you save paper, ink, and trees.
Use print preview: The Print Preview feature in Microsoft Word and other word processors lets you see what your printout will look like onscreen before you print, which can save paper and time.
Be careful when printing web pages: If you print web pages directly from your browser, either click the “print this page” icon found on many sites or use your browser’s Print Preview feature to make sure you don’t print extra pages of ads or other content you don’t need. Or just copy and paste the text you need from the web page into a text document and print it from there.
Circulate PDFs: Rather than distribute printouts of documents to coworkers, email PDF files—they can be read on any computer that has Adobe Acrobat software. The latest version of Microsoft Word (Word 2007) lets you save documents in PDF format.
Make double-sided printouts: You can easily halve the amount of paper that you use by printing on both sides—a feature that many newer printers and software programs support.
Use recycled paper: If your office isn’t using 100% post-consumer recycled paper, ask the office manager to make the switch—recycled paper costs just $1 or so more per ream than nonrecycled paper.

Conserve Energy

There are a number of ways to reduce unnecessary energy expenditure in the workplace:

Computers: Set computers to energy-saving modes during use, and shut down your computer completely at the end of the day—switching to “standby,” “sleep,” or “hibernate” continues to consume energy. Consult your IT department if you’re not sure which modes or energy-saving options your computer offers.
Power strips: Plug every electronic device in your office into power strips. That way you can shut off all your devices with just a few switches when you go home at the end of the day.
Use natural light: If your office has windows, see whether you can work effectively without desk lamps or overhead lights.
Swap out your bulbs: Consult your office manager to determine which type of bulbs are used in the office—most likely standard fluorescents. Suggest that the office switch to compact fluorescents (CFLs) instead.
Install motion sensors: Suggest that the company use motion sensors to turn off lights in parts of the office, such as conference rooms, that are used only occasionally.

Telecommute

Some employers allow employees to work from home a few days per month. If your company offers this option, take them up on it—telecommuting reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and can boost productivity. If your office doesn’t have a telecommuting program in place, ask your supervisor about starting one—telecommuting often saves employers money, which makes it a win-win.

Reduce Disposables

Rather than getting takeout for lunch every day, bring leftovers from home in a reusable container. For beverages, suggest that the office free up space for reusable mugs instead of providing disposable cups. If your office uses recycling bins, make sure that they’re conveniently located within the kitchen area.

Request Green Coffee and Tea

Many workplaces offer an in-house supply of coffee and tea that employees use by default. By encouraging your employer to offer environmentally friendly coffee or tea on an office-wide basis, you can green your entire office’s hot beverage habits all at once. Contact the office manager or director of the HR department to find out who’s in charge of your company’s coffee and tea supply. You can also encourage that person to order a supply of free, reusable mugs, perhaps featuring the company logo to discourage employees from taking them home for personal use.

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