Eco-Efficiency

Pure Green Staff

 

Want to go green but are worried about spending too much green? Pure Green Corporation counts down our favorite eco-solutions to help your bottom line.

 

10) Save half-used sheets of office paper (sheets printed on only one side) to stock fax machines, use as scratch paper, and copy and print documents in draft format.

 

9) Use refillable pens and tape dispensers instead of disposable ones.

 

8) Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings.

 

7) Donate used equipment and furniture to a resale store. (Many thrift stores offer free pick-up, and the donations can often be tax-deductible.)

 

6) Have a “used goods area” within the office and include binders, folders, padded envelopes, cardboard boxes, disks, etc. Use these before purchasing new supplies.

 

5) Use video-conferencing and conference calls instead of travel when possible.

 

4) Purchase recycled toner cartridges. Each remanufactured toner cartridge keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills and conserves about a half gallon of oil.

 

3) Turn off equipment during nights and weekends. Attach TVs, radios, computers, copy machines, microwaves, telephones, etc., to power strips for ease in turning them off at the end of the day. (Even when not in use, appliances use electricity. According to Co-op America, turning computers and copiers off after work can cut energy usage by up to 75 %.)

 

2) Turn on "power-save" modes on equipment and appliances. Computers in the business sector unnecessarily waste $1 billion worth of electricity a year.

 

1) Eliminate bottled water. Use a water purification system. This reduces the average office’s carbon footprint by more than 650 pounds of CO2!