a special advertising section of the bermuda sun • aPRIL 23, 2014
Plenty of great ideas for greening your office By Robyn Bardgett rbardgett@bermudasun.bm
These days it’s not hard to look around and see people taking up the mantle of being more environmentally friendly. From recycling to eating clean, we’re all trying a little harder to save our planet. The green movement has also moved into our offices and many businesses are looking for ways that they can create less waste and not only improve the environment but also save money. “AF Smith provides furniture, equipment, software and many other ways to green up your office,” says Robyn Baras, brand experience manager at AF Smith. AF Smith is hosting a Love your planet Expo on Tuesday, April 29 from 3.00pm to 5.00pm at their headquarters located on Tumkins Lane. “We want to bring awareness within the community that we offer these products and that they are actually not more expensive than non-green products,” Mrs Baras says.
They will be showcasing some of the innovative products they currently have available to help businesses get a little more green in their life.
Refillable
Take for instance the B2P pens made from 100 per cent recycled water bottles. They even look like a little water bottle and they write like a dream. They also use refillable ink, so there’s less wastage. One of the other exciting products that will be on display at the Expo includes the Xerox ColorQube printer. Some of its green credentials include producing 90 per cent less waste, reducing cost by up to 60 per cent and it uses cartridge-free ink. So instead of having to shake the cartridge a few times to get those last drops of ink out before you replace it, this printer uses
every last bit of ink. AF Smith also provides software that can help manage output and help employees to be a little more environmentally savvy. “While the Equitrac software is not itself necessarily green it allows companies to manage their printing expenses, maximize office equipment efficiency, reduce waste, ensure document privacy and boost bottomline,” says Mrs Baras. Some of the neat tools it can do include stopping employees from printing from certain applications as well as forcing double-sided printing and forcing black and white printing, say, for instance when printing an email. It also has a green reporting function to check by user who prints the most in the company and alerts user to printer options.
n Photo by Robyn Bardgett
innovative: The MediaScape conference table at the AF Smith headquarters surrounded by Steelcase Leap chairs. At left, the B2P pens. One of AF Smith’s biggest sellers is recycled printing paper. Other paper products available include Postit notepads, lined paper note pads and breakroom products, including plates, cups and utensils. These items are all made from 100 per cent renewable resources or 100 per cent consumer recycled materials. Also on show during the Expo will be AF Smith’s line of recycled furniture. Most notable are the line of Steelcase chairs, which are made of recycled content as
well as being recyclable. It doesn’t hurt that the chairs are all incredibly stylish and functional. AF Smith will be displaying their Steelcase chairs in the office’s MediaScape conferencing room, which features the MediaScape table that is made from 45 per cent recycled content. “The concept behind the MediaScape table is to make telecommuting easier and cuts down on travel,” says Mrs Baras. “Going green in the office doesn’t have to happen all at once,” she adds. “Taking
little steps makes it more doable and it’s not that expensive if you are doing it in little steps. You’re also not cutting back on quality –– that is not the case with the products that we provide.” To get a first-hand look at the green products available at AF Smith check out the Expo. Food and beverages will be served and a discount will be offered to those who attend. n
For more information, contact Robyn Baras at AF Smith on 292-1882.
EVERY SATURDAY PIER SIX LOWER LEVEL, FRONT ST., HAMILTON
8AM - 1PM
MID NOVEMBER TO JUNE