Greening the workplace by Roberto G

Greening the Workplace

The daily operations of a typical business can contribute to environmental degradation and affect your community. Nearly all activities in your workplace present opportunities to strip away waste and save energy. The benefits range from higher employee retention and reduced sick days to a sense of fulfillment and gratification for all members of your organization. These solutions will benefit your business, people and the planet.

Greening the Workplace

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Greening the Workplace

Your business doesn't exist in isolation, simply as a way of making money. Your employees depend on your business. Customers, suppliers and the local community are all affected by you and what you do. Your products, and the way you make them, have an impact on the environment. Social Responsibility takes all this into account. It isn't about being "right on", or mounting an expensive publicity exercise. It simply means taking a responsible attitude, and following simple principles that apply whatever the size of your business..

Greening the Workplace

Contents Please consider the environment before printing this booklet.

Title

Page Number

Why Socially Responsible

5-6

Things you can do before you start

Goals and Incentives

8-9

Green Purchasing

Personal Computers

Printers, Fax and Photocopiers

12-13

Myths and Realities about office equipment Paper

14 15-16

Working with Printing Services

Stationary and supplies

Lighting

Bathrooms and Water

Kitchen and Vending Machines

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Heating and Cooling

Indoor Pollution

Transportation

25-26

Green your building

27-28

Taking the Next Step

Hazardous Waste Disposalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bay Area

Useful links

References

Books

33 Booklet Copyrights: Provokare Presentations 4

Greening the Workplace

Why Socially Responsible Social Responsibility and your business

The Business Benefits This isn't just about doing the right thing. It offers direct business benefits. Building a reputation as a responsible business sets you apart. Many consumers prefer to buy from ethical businesses. Companies often prefer suppliers who demonstrate responsible policies, to minimize the risk of any damage to their own reputations.

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Some customers don't just prefer to deal with responsible companies, but insist on it. For example, sales of "environmentally friendly" products continue to grow - and these products often sell at a premium price.

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Meanwhile, reducing waste and emissions doesn't just help the environment - it saves you money too. It's not difficult to cut utility bills and waste disposal costs, bringing immediate cash benefits.

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There are other benefits too: • A good reputation makes it easier to recruit employees. • Employees stay longer, reducing the costs and disruption of recruitment and retraining. • Employees are better motivated and more productive. • It helps ensure you comply with regulatory requirements. • Activities such as involvement with the local community are ideal opportunities to generate positive press coverage. • Good relationships with local authorities make doing business easier. • Understanding the wider impact of your business can help you think up profitable new products and services. It can make you more competitive, and reduces the risk of sudden damage to your reputation (and sales). Investors recognize this, and are more willing to finance you.

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You need to think about the suppliers you choose, and the way you deal with them. For example, dealing with suppliers who pollute the environment could be as irresponsible as doing so yourself. You need to think about how you treat your employees. For the responsible business, this is about more than simply complying with legal requirements. You need to think about how your business affects your local community, and whether you should be actively involved. You need to think about how what you do affects the environment, and what you can do to reduce pollution and waste. This doesn't mean that you can't run a profitable business. In fact, social responsibility can help you improve your business performance. By looking ahead, you're ready to cope with new laws and restrictions. You avoid unnecessary costs such as wasted energy or paying landfill tax on your waste collection. Perhaps most importantly, you can keep winning business from increasingly demanding customers.

Why Socially Responsible

Social responsibility can cut across almost everything you do, and everyone you deal with.

Greening the Workplace

Why Socially Responsible Environmental Impact Your business affects many different people - employees, customers and suppliers, and the local community. It also has a wider impact on the environment. Even the simplest energy efficiency measures, like switching off lights when they aren't needed, makes a real difference. Reducing the use of water also directly cuts your costs.

Caring about the environment can increase income too. Many customers prefer to buy from responsible companies. There are all sorts of ways you could think about reducing the environmental impact of your business. For example:

• • • • • •

creating recyclable products sourcing responsibly (eg using recycled materials and sustainable wood) minimizing packaging buying locally to save fuel costs creating an efficient (and fuel-efficient) distribution network working with suppliers and distributors who take steps to minimize their environmental impact reducing energy and water consumption

Work with the local community Working with your local community brings a wide range of business benefits. For many businesses, local customers are an important source of sales. By improving your reputation, you may find it easier to recruit employees. A good relationship with local authorities can also make your business life much easier. For example, some local authorities prefer to award contracts to businesses with a record of community involvement. There are many ways to get involved. Some businesses choose to support a local charity, or sponsor a local event. It makes commercial sense to get involved in an activity related to your product. This lets you use your expertise as well as showing the human face of your business. For example, some restaurants provide food to local homeless groups, while builders give free labor and materials to community projects. Look for opportunities that will directly benefit you for example, by generating publicity, or improving the neighborhood around your premises. Many businesses involve their employees in working with the local community. For example, you might support charities chosen by employees. Some businesses encourage employees to volunteer for community activities. You could also give them paid time off for this. As well as improving your community relations, this can help motivate employees and develop their skills.

Why Socially Responsible

Minimizing waste can also make an important contribution. Simple steps like reducing the amount of paper you waste can immediately cut costs. You can save even more by thinking about waste when you design new products and production processes.

Greening the Workplace

Things you can do before you start •

Make sure you’re in compliance with state, local, and federal environmental, health, and safety regulations. This gives your beyond-compliance efforts a solid foundation. You may also gain additional benefits: Some governmental programs offer reduced oversight and paperwork of companies that are in full compliance.

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Understand how your business affects the environment, from the things you buy, to your relationships with customers and suppliers, to the full life-cycle of your products and services. At each step of the way, there are opportunities to make choices that can help you align environmental responsibility with business success.

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Begin to make changes where they can be done profitably — or at least in a way that will not decrease profits and productivity for more than a short period. It’s important to keep in mind that it isn’t possible to do everything right; gradual, incremental progress is a worthy goal.

For more information: OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html

The Small Business Assistance Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's : http://www.epa.gov/smallbusiness/help.htm

Measure and track your waste. Look at what resources your company consumes — energy, supplies, raw materials — and what it wastes — finished packaging, raw materials, energy, and emissions. Try to measure and quantify this waste: How much do you spend to purchase, handle, store, and dispose of the wasted material? Your audit may be as simple as counting or weighing the trash bags your company disposes of on a weekly or monthly basis, or checking energy utility bills. Or it may involve bringing in professionals to assess your company and make recommendations on how to reduce energy, redesign products or distribution systems, and other efforts to reduce waste and save money.

Write an environmental vision statement.

Rally the troops. Employee participation is essential to a successful environmental initiative. Bring together a team of employees to promote environmentalism in the workplace. These troops can head up the recycled-product purchasing effort, educate coworkers on environmental issues, and keep track of environmental accounting for their department. Consider creating incentives, rewards, and recognition for employees who take leadership in your company’s environmental efforts. Name a periodic “green champion” in order to single out individual employees’ environmental actions.

It’s easier to get behind a vision when all your players know what the company stands for. This foundation will show customers, stakeholders, and your community that your business is invested in the environment. With your team, set an environmental vision statement and goals that all your employees understand, and your managers will uphold. At minimum, such statements commonly affirm a company’s intentions to respect the environment in the design, production, and distribution of its products and services; commit the company to being in full compliance with all laws, and to go beyond compliance whenever possible; and establish an open-book policy whereby employees, community members, and others can be informed of any potential adverse impacts the company might have on the environment. 7

Things you can do before you start

EPA : Compliance and Enforcement http://www.epa.gov/compliance/

Greening the Workplace

Goals and Incentives Encourage Teamwork Have clear goals Several companies reported success by creating employee "green teams" as a means of sharing ideas, information, and inspiration. Provide some hands-on opportunities for employees to get involved. A mission statement is often intangible. People need to see specific examples of the mission statement in action and have a proactive opportunity to succeed in bringing our mission statement to life.

Let's start with the basics, simply because a lot of companies don't. In their efforts to educate employees about "the environment," many companies lose sight of what they're trying to accomplish -- specifically, how environmental learning will further the company's strategic business goals. Consider your own organization's current mission: to reduce costs, get closer to the customer, grow market share, expand into new markets, create new business opportunities, and so on. Each of these can create opportunities to turn environmental principles into real-life business lessons.

Semiannual meetings are "unique opportunity for our individual managers to get together to hear new information and determine implementation plans regarding new environmental initiatives.

Another key to goal-setting is getting a snapshot of the status quo: How much do employees already know? (And how much do they care?) Your research may uncover pervasive myths -- for example, that solid waste is your company's number-one environmental challenge, when that may be far from the case. Such insight can be critical in determining how much and what types of lessons you need to impart.

People love to win. It doesn't need to be vast sums of cash, though money definitely talks. Sometimes, it's enough to be recognized with a plaque, a newsletter

Get top management involved We're not talking about getting CEO buy-in, though that's important, too. This is about CEO involvement, along that of the whole top-management team. "Caring for the environment is something employees want to do, but they need to feel that it's okay to do that," says 3M's Renner. "So when they hear their CEO give a speech on the subject, it legitimizes it for them."

Honor Differences

Offer specific educational training targeted at senior managers. This way, not only are they knowledgeable and a resource for others, lower-level employees see they are involved and understand that environmental issues affect all levels of the company.

Another basic is to appreciate that not everyone learns in the same way. Some people like to learn out loud by discussing things with colleagues. Others like to learn alone, reading from books or watching videos. Some people like to know a subject's theoretical underpinnings while others prefer to stick with just what's relevant to their jobs. Some people need learning to be fun and entertaining while others want just the facts. Often, these differences can be accommodated through a mix of media and activities: newsletters, e-mails, one-onone sessions, group discussions, posters, comic books, CDROMs, lecture series, and so forth.

Goals and Incentives

Recognize winners

Greening the Workplace

Goals and Incentives Make it relevant

Think locally

Lessons that don't apply to one's job will quickly be forgotten. But molding information to fit each individual's tasks can be equally daunting. Therein lie two approaches to reaching individual employees. On the one hand, BASF Corp. "provides employees with techniques to incorporate environmental guidelines into their jobs by doing specific training geared to individual jobs.

Nothing drives environmental issues home better than their impact on the community. Community activities provide an opportunity for employees to come together to learn -- and to make a difference.

Nike takes a different approach, providing employees with general environmental education that they can use as appropriate in their own jobs.

Make it fun

Contests and games can be effective. For example, Ben & Jerry's Homemade created an activity called "Get Reacquainted with the Recycling Room." The company rented a popcorn popper and put it alongside the collection bins. "People may just go down there to get food, but they learn something about recycling in the process," says Andrea Asch, who works on environmental issues.

â&#x20AC;Ś But not too fun Such tactics notwithstanding, it's easy to go overboard, with the result being that style triumphs over substance. Patagonia learned that when it staged an elaborate "Eco-Jeopardy" game a few years ago. Winners won candy bars and the game was a hit.

Make it constant

Recalls one former Patagonia staffer: "People are still talking about the game, but it's doubtful if they remember anything from it."

Environmental education is of minimal value if it is relegated to a once-a-year effort every third week of April. Ideally, it can be continually reinforced throughout the year. Moreover, people come and go, people change jobs, and companies reorganize. Amid all this, environmental messages need to remain steadfast.

Goals and Incentives

Fun is a good way to inspire people who have little natural interest in the environment. Done well, you may actually trick people into learning something.

Greening the Workplace

Green your purchasing Specify your commitment to seek out environmentally preferable products. Identify opportunities to purchase recycled, refurbished, or reconditioned products where they compete favorably in price, performance, and quality with new ones. Whenever possible, use specific criteria — for example, that paper purchases must contain a minimum 50% postconsumer recycled material. Work with your regular suppliers to identify their willingness to comply with your policy. When appropriate, seek out alternative suppliers. Let employees and suppliers know you expect materials and products to meet environmental standards. Buying and using energy-efficient equipment saves you money. It can provide enormous savings in electricity use alone and cutting up to 80% off your electricity bill. It can also cut 20–30% off your air-conditioning bill because you are reducing the amount of heat that your equipment generates and that needs to be cooled. Paper costs can be almost halved simply by printing double-sided, and you can save on toner and on ink by refilling your printer and toner cartridges. You also save on waste disposal costs because the amount of waste you generate is reduced. The environmental benefits of using energy-efficient equipment are tremendous. By reducing the electricity you use you are reducing air and water pollution from power stations and saving a tone of greenhouse gas for each 1,000 kilowatt-hour of electricity you save.

See the Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines from the EPA: http://www.epa.gov/cpg

The Upside

Reality Check

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Positive publicity resulting from the company's commitment to buying recycled and to the environment.

It may take more time to find products with recycled content than to find virgin products, as recycled products aren't as commonly available.

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Financial savings. Some recycled products, such as retread tires, are less expensive than products from virgin materials. Others, however, are slightly more expensive than traditional products. As demand increases, prices should drop.

The cost of certain recycled products may be more than virgin products. However, be sure to compare equitable products. For example, the cheap multi-purpose paper found in many office supply stores is significantly less expensive than recycled-content paper, but the recycled paper is probably a better grade of paper.

Market development by providing markets for recovered materials and creating jobs through the recycling and remanufacturing industries.

Rent or lease equipment instead of buying. Consider leasing copiers, computers, and other equipment from manufacturers that will take back and properly recycle their goods at their “end of life.” Make it easy on yourself — let the lessor repair and properly dispose of the equipment. You also could buy equipment used and refurbished. Consider renting equipment that is used only occasionally. Alternatively, consider sharing seldom-used machines or equipment with other businesses in your area. Computers are as common in our offices as telephones. Faster, more powerful machines quickly replace each other, with “upgrade” cycles of two or three years. Most equipment is designed for disposal; it does not come apart easily, and parts cannot be upgraded separately. Units may not be recyclable if the materials are hard to separate. The result is large amounts of electronic junk, even with re-furbishers, recyclers and donations diverting some electronics from trash. Besides wasting materials, the manufacturing and disposal processes may release pollutants to air and water and affect human health. The costs of frequent replacement, plus hazardous waste disposal for some items, can add up quickly. What looked like a good price to buy equipment may carry significant hidden costs. 10

Green purchasing

Refilling, reusing and recycling the materials you use reduces the amount of waste and pollution you generate .

Greening the Workplace

Personal Computers Energy Efficiency What’s the hazard in a computer? Lead, Cadmium and Mercury can cause brain and kidney damage. Manufacturing and burning plastics as garbage can release toxic fumes. Flame retardants are linked to long term toxic effects.

If your computer has the USEPA 'Energy Star' or some other 'power save' feature, make sure it is activated; equipment is often set up with it disabled.

When selecting computers and monitors: • •

If the IT departments requires that you keep the computers on at all time for software updates, request that the updates be done only once a month or every other week or only as necessary. This way you can power down your PCs every night.

• Make the best use of computer equipment by upgrading and reusing old machines for low power work, e.g., as print servers.

Follow the general principles for buying green office equipment Consider buying a laptop, since a laptop is much more energy- and materials-efficient than a desktop computer and monitor Consider buying LCDtype flat screens for desktop computers, as they are more energy- and space-efficient than standard monitors

When using computers and monitors: • •

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“Product Stewardship” means manufacturers and suppliers take responsibility for the environmental impacts and costs from the manufacture, use, and disposal of their products.

You can switch off the monitor if a computer is being used as a server and the monitor is not required Enable Sleep Mode or hibernate for your computer whenever you are away from your desk for an hour or more or for whatever shorter time you find convenient Experiment with your power management time settings to find the shortest convenient times that suit you.

Personal Computers

Encourage staff to switch their equipment off before they go home. It can be difficult to get staff motivated to turn equipment off, so consider running a 'Switch Off' campaign and make sure staff receive feedback as to its success, or otherwise, to encourage further progress.

Greening the Workplace

Printers, Fax, Photocopiers Energy Efficiency

Purchases

Ensure power saving features are set up correctly to achieve the most efficient use of energy; equipment is often set up with it inactivated.

When selecting a photocopier, follow the general principles for buying green office equipment.

1. Think of longevity, reusability and recyclability

4. 5. 6.

Switch off machines whenever possible but remember it takes time for some equipment to warm up when switched on. Frequent switching off may reduce energy efficiency too far or increase wear on equipment. Ask you supplier or the manufacturer for advice. Some equipment may have to be left on permanently, such as telephone exchanges and fax machines. Put warning stickers on such equipment, and then any other machines can be switched off by security or cleaning staff in the evening. Purchase timers for office equipment (laser printers and photocopiers) that do not need to be left on outside office hours. Check with your supplier or the manufacturer that mains cut-off will not damage the equipment.

Waste Minimization Where practical, use the reduction feature on your photocopier to fit more on a piece of paper. Ensure that all staff using the photocopier knows how to operate it properly to help reduce paper waste. Consider asking your photocopier supplier to provide a brief training session for all employees.

Printers, Fax, Photocopiers

when buying office equipment such as printers, scanners and photocopiers. How was the product manufactured? Could you buy something that does the same job but that carries less of an environmental impact? Does it contain harmful chemicals or toxins? Many office products contain chemicals that are quite toxic and that can leach into our waterways once dumped into landfill. Is it made of recycled material? Buying recycled helps reduce your own environmental impacts as well as encourages suppliers to supply recycled products. Do you really need it? The best way of conserving our natural resources is not to use them in the first place! Energy Saver : Look for a copier with an “energy save” button in addition to programmable power management features so that users can put the machine into low power mode as soon as they finish copying. Automatic Power Saver: Choose a copier with a seven-day clock that allows you to program it to turn off when it isn’t needed at the end of each work day and on weekends. Reduction : Unless you are buying a small format photocopier, choose one with the capacity to reduce from Legal size to Letter size.

Greening the Workplace

Printers, Fax, Photocopiers PRINTERS Choose a printer that can print double-sided and consider installing a third paper bin for networked printers so that you can print drafts and internal documents on paper that is already printed on one side. For small-volume printers that don’t have the ability to print double-sided, make sure odd and even pages can be printed easily. Use software that enables you to easily print on both sides.

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turn off the printer when you’re not using it and at the end of the working day (make sure no-one else wants to use it first, particularly if it’s part of a network) set sleep mode default times to the lowest available setting that is convenient for your needs Set the printer to print both sides by default. If users need to print on one side only, they can specify it before printing. The majority of documents printed are for internal use and two sided is ok.

FAXING Before faxing something, think about whether you can communicate using email instead. If you can’t, here are some energy and paper saving tips: • • • • • • • • •

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Ensure fax machines are set so they do not produce unwanted header or report sheets. Design fax cover sheets to have adequate space for messages so that you don't have to attach a separate letter or note. if you have many fax machines, divert calls to a few units after hours and turn the rest off set sleep mode default times to the lowest available setting fill the paper bin/cartridge with paper that is already printed on one side adjust your margins and type size to fit more on the page use ink and toner saving settings recycle and refill toner and ink cartridges. Install faxing software that will enable you to fax directly from your computer and include the documents as attachments. You can also receive faxes directly to your computer and view them on the screen without printing. (You’ll need a direct connection to a phone line from your PC) Another way is to use faxing companies to whom you email the documents attached and they will automatically convert them to fax and send to the number you provide. Almost all phone companies can now enable your phone number to receive faxes which you can view online

Printers and Faxes

Before you print, think about whether you really need a printed copy. Whenever possible, communicate by email instead. For those documents you do need to print, here are some energy and paper saving tips:

Greening the Workplace

Myths and Realities People often use office equipment in what they believe is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way when in fact what they are doing is exactly the opposite. Often they are acting on widely believed but wrong information, or they’ve had a bad experience with older models of equipment and don’t realize that the problem doesn’t apply to the newer models. Here are some of the more common polluting, dollar- and energy-wasting myths and the realities behind them.

MYTH Turning off computers crashes the hard drive. Reality Switching off computers will have no significant effect on the useful lifetime of the hard disk. In the past larger hard drives were degraded by mechanical stress. Today some manufacturers specify a life of 40,000 power cycles for their hard drives. That is equivalent to 30 stop/ start cycles for each working day over five years.

MYTH Screen savers save energy. Reality Screen savers are energy wasters. Most computers use about twice as much energy lighting up the screen as they use for processing. Originally, screen savers were designed to stop screens being burnt by a constant image, but they aren’t needed for modern screens. Not only can screen savers use as much energy as a full screen of work, but many require considerable processing energy as well. If you want to save energy you can set your screen saver to ‘none’ or ‘blank screen.’

MYTH Power managing equipment in winter means it will generate less heat in the office and the heating system will need to run longer. Reality True, but it is far more efficient, cheaper and more environmentally sound to heat your building with a purpose-built heating system than have inefficiently operating office equipment leak heat into the workplace. In fact, most commercial office buildings use much more energy for cooling than for heating and power management of equipment can reduce the need for cooling considerably.

MYTH Turning off or power managing computers and printers causes network problems. Reality Major network software suppliers say that if networks have been properly set up there should be no problem with turning off or power managing computers and printers in the network. If you are installing or upgrading a network, you can save energy by making effective power management capacity a mandatory condition of the contract. While servers need to be left on, they don’t need their screens on after hours to assist processing.

MYTH Printing double-sided and/or using recycled paper causes photocopiers to jam and makes you use more paper. Reality Many of us have had these experiences certainly, but they are quite avoidable in modern equipment. When buying new photocopiers and printers, ensure that manufacturers and suppliers are prepared to guarantee effective performance in these areas. Some copier manufacturers (e.g. Canon and Fuji Xerox) will specify the brands of recycled paper they approve.

MYTH Refilled toner or ink cartridges leak everywhere and make an incredible mess. Reality As with recycled paper, this problem is avoidable and manufacturers and suppliers should be prepared to guarantee effective performance

Myths and Realities

MYTH When equipment is turned on, or powers up from sleep or suspend modes, there is often a current surge. The energy consumed during this current surge is so large that leaving your equipment in normal operating mode wastes less energy than turning it off or using power management features. Reality Start-up current surges are of very short duration and at most they consume a few seconds of average running time energy. Whenever your equipment is not being used for more than a few minutes it makes sense to turn it off or switch to a lower power setting.

Greening the Workplace

PAPER Many of the world's biologically-rich forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Each year an area of tropical forest the size of New York state is lost. A major cause is the expansion of industrial tree plantations, which supply pulp to meet worldwide demand for paper products. Papers are often bleached with chlorine or chlorine derivatives. The byproduct dioxin is then released into waterways, poisoning fish and the animals (including humans) that consume them. For this reason, it is important when buying paper not only to look for products that are chlorine-free. There are two designations for chlorine-free papers:

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TCF, or totally chlorine free, meaning paper that is made without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. This applies to virgin paper. PCF, or processed chlorine free, which means much the same as TCF, except that it applies to recycled paper.

What is the percentage of recycled content? Recycled paper contains varying percentages of postpost-consumer waste (paper that has been used and recycled by the consumer); the remaining recycled content derives from miscellaneous paper mill scraps. While any recycled paper is generally better than non-recycled, paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer content is the best choice. If a percentage is not listed, contact the manufacturer.

What about “tree“tree-free” alternatives? Paper doesn’t have to come from wood pulp; fibers from hemp, kenaf, flax, cotton, banana stalks, and other plant-based materials can be used to produce paper with fewer chemicals and less energy. Tree-free paper is generally more expensive than its conventional counterpart, but is available from a variety of companies. As with conventional paper, look for a product with high post-consumer recycled content. Look for products labeled either processed chlorine free (PCF) or totally chlorine free (TCF). This is valid for any type of paper, not only printing paper: napkins, toilet paper, table covers, plates, cups, lids, food containers, etc… 15

Where did the paper originate? If you cannot buy a paper product that is 100 percent recycled, look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification label. This paper comes from forests managed in an environmentally responsible manner.

Paper

The benefits of producing paper from recycled fibers are many: fewer trees cut down, less water and energy consumed, less pollution generated. And now that studies have shown today’s recycled paper products are comparable to conventional products in quality, performance, and cost, the case for buying recycled is stronger than ever. To help expand this market while meeting your needs and budget, ask these questions when shopping for paper products:

Greening the Workplace

PAPER Waste Minimization Collect scrap paper (e.g., photocopier mistakes, superseded drafts, obsolete file copies, etc.) and use the clean sides for draft printouts, internal correspondence and fax transmission sheets, then recycle. Use scrap paper for notes and messages, and encourage others to do the same. Investigate having wastepaper bound as note and message pads at a print shop. Use waste paper wherever possible instead of self-adhesive notes since glued paper cannot be widely recycled. Provide staff with ongoing feedback about the recycling scheme with information on the amount of paper collected. Consider setting a target for everyone to work towards, for example, '20% reduction in waste paper by the end of the month'. Avoid 'memo mania'. If your office has an e-mail system, use it to send messages wherever possible instead of written memos. Substitute telephone calls for memos where practical. Reduce the number of copies made of standard documents, memos, etc., wherever possible. Distribute only one copy with a circulation list. Make an additional copy to post on a central notice board; these copies can be kept in a central file or binder for future reference. Avoid overproduction of marketing and publicity material by reviewing distribution lists and regularly updating databases.

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Avoid paper filing: filing investigate using and compact disks or tape instead of paper filing systems optimize electronic communication methods including email, forms and transactions. Reduce paper handouts: most of the papers handed out in meetings are generally trashed once the meeting is over. Use on screen presentations and email file to attendees to view on their screens after the meeting. reduce margin settings and type sizes on your computer so that the printer uses less paper. Common default settings for computers are 12 point type and 3.175 cm (1.25 inch) left and right hand margins. Using 11 point type and 2.54 cm (1 inch) left hand margins and 1.27 cm (0.5 inch) right hand margins can increase the amount of information you can fit on a page by up to 27% and save paper. This still allows ample margins for binding and hardcopy filing. Default duplex – ensure that all printers and work stations are set to print duplex as default Paperless: Turn your bank statements and utility bills to paperless statements and pay your bills online Go Paperless Promote recycling by putting up posters and providing bins next to the equipment, explaining the types of paper that can be recycled. Stop all unsolicited mail and advertisement.

Paper

Avoid unnecessary packaging, paper grocery bags, boxes, wraps. Reuse or recycle boxes from received packages etc..

Greening the Workplace

Working with Printing Services The Costs and Impacts of Printing The mechanics of most types of printing haven't changed much over the past half century. Lithography and gravure printing-the methods used to print most books, magazines, and catalogs-employ printing plates, which are used to apply ink to paper, sometimes through intermediary rollers.

Many of these components contain hazardous materials. For example: • etch baths for making printing plates may contain hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and heavy metals; • solutions used in plate making film processing may contain silver, lead, chromium, cadmium, toluene, chloroform, and methylene chloride; • printing inks may contain a variety of toxic metals, such as chromium, lead, and cadmium, along with hydrocarbon solvents, plasticizers, barium-based pigments, and acrylic copolymers • cleanup washes may contain ethyl alcohol, benzene, toluene, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, perchloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, and kerosene. Chlorine bleaching of paper is increasingly linked to cancer-causing effluents. Waste inks and solvents often must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Bindings, adhesives, foils, and plastic bags commonly used in printing or packaging printed material can render paper unrecyclable at most facilities.

Cleaner Solutions Whether you print in-house or contract with outside printers, look into environmentally friendly printing products and processes. Whenever possible : • Seek out printing companies that use water-based press cleaners and soy- or other vegetable-based inks as well as recycled paper that is bleached without use of chlorine. When designing printing projects, avoid elements that reduce recyclability, such as foil stamping, adhesives, and plastic bags.

Printing Services

For most printers, the chemistry behind these processes hasn't changed much, either. Typically, it involves a variety of inks, solvents, acids, resins, lacquers, dyes, driers, extenders, modifiers, varnishes, shellacs, and other solutions. Only a few of these ingredients end up directly on the printed page. The balance are used to produce films, printing plates, gravure cylinders, or proofs, or are used to clean printing plates or presses.

Greening the Workplace

The stationery cupboard can have an extraordinary effect on people in the office. No matter who you are, or what your position, the chances are you'll get the same enjoyment from unwrapping the cellophane from a brand new box of PostPost-it™ notes as the next person. It's a good place to cut down on the amount of waste your office produces and save on costs too.

Waste Minimization

Understand your impact.

Discourage excessive use of stationery by implementing an ordering system or by requiring staff to sign out any stationery they use. This may allow you to target high use areas more effectively.

Conducting a lifecycle assessment looks at the “cradle-tograve” impacts of your products — from the raw materials to their manufacture, sale, use, and disposal. Lifecycle assessments can help you identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce waste, improve quality, save money, and provide products that are more environmentally appealing to customers.

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Reorganize office supply cupboards to provide a central deposit for used 'old, but still good' office supplies. Hold a regular 'stationery amnesty' by asking staff to hand in all their unused equipment for reuse. Do not use “throw away” items like one time use pens or highlighters. Purchase refillable pens, use colored pencils.

Stationary—Supplies

Stationary and supplies

Greening the Workplace

Lighting Use energy-efficient lighting.

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Use natural light wherever possible. Encourage staff to open the blinds rather than turn lights on. Make sure lights can be switched off manually, particularly near windows.

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Run a 'Switch Off' campaign. Contrary to popular belief, it is always cheaper to switch off lights, however short the time period.

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Ensure that lighting levels are not excessive. You may be able to reduce the level of background lighting in your office by removing alternate tubes.

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Consider the installation of presence detector lighting controls in places not in constant use, such as lavatories and meeting rooms.

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Ensure that occupants are well briefed on automatic control systems and how to get the most efficient lighting performance from them. Staff need to understand what the control system is trying to do, and how best to interact with it.

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Fluorescent lamps will last longer the less they are used. Don't forget to use natural light wherever possible and remember it is always cheaper to switch off lights, however short the time period ...

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Compact Fluorescent lamps contain mercury, make sure you dispose of them appropriately through a hazardous waste disposal site.

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Use "task" lighting where extra light is needed, rather than lighting an entire area.

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Rearrange workspace to take advantage of areas with natural sunlight, and design for increased natural lighting when remodeling.

Lighting

There are thousands of lighting products available, many of which offer significant energy savings and improved lighting. Examples include occupancy sensors for frequently vacant rooms; ballast upgrades and reflectors for fluorescent fixtures; compact fluorescent lights in place of incandescent bulbs; timers to turn off lighting at fixed times; and energy-efficient exit signs. Many of these can pay for themselves in as little as a few months.

Greening the Workplace

Bathrooms and Water Bathrooms can be the source of large consumption of water, energy and paper. Energy Ensure extractor fans do not operate outside the periods when buildings are occupied. The system could be operated by the same presence detector controls that operate the lighting in the bathroom. Post up 'Switch Off' reminders in the bathroom. It is always cheaper to switch off lights, however short the time period. Reduce hot water temperatures (to a minimum of 120°C to avoi breeding bacteria).

Water Consumption—Check your water meter readings carefully. If you are paying for water you cannot account for you may have a leak. Report Leaks – a dripping tap can waste up to one gallon of water a day! Report leaking taps, toilets, urinals or pipes to maintenance. Don’t leave the tap running – reduce your water use when washing up, use a plug and don't leave the water running. A tap left running uses approximately 2.5 gallons of water a minute.

Towels • • •

Use 100% recycled toilet paper Use 100% recycled paper towels Use only two paper towels for your hands, just give’em a little shake first.

Benefits: • One Boston facility took advantage of renovations to the building to replace 126 existing 3.5 gpf toilets with 1.6 gpf toilets. When completed, the change will reduce total water use by 15%. With an implementation cost of $32,000 and estimated annual savings of $22,800, payback occurs in 1.4 years. • By installing 30 faucet aerators, a commercial building in Brookline could reduce water consumption by 190,000 gallons per year. The cost of the devices and labor is approximately $300 and the savings for the retrofit are estimated at $1,250 per year -- a payback of 2 months.

consumption toilets and urinals with Ultra Low Flush (ULF) toilets and urinals which use 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) and 1.0 gpf respectively.

Reduce and conserve water. Promote water-efficient landscaping, called xeriscaping. Other outdoor water-saving practices include mulching, timed irrigation, and nighttime irrigation. Use “dry sweeping”, to clean concrete or asphalt surfaces.

Install water-efficient fixtures. Consider low flow aerators for faucets, and “dams” or other devices for toilets. On toilets that use a spring-loaded lever instead of a handle, install water saving diaphragms. When building or remodeling, seek out low-flow appliances and devices. Reuse water. Collect rain water for irrigating or other non-potable uses. Reuse water in manufacturing and rinsing procedures. Toilets: If only replacing a limited number of toilets, replace heavily used fixtures located in high traffic areas first. Encourage water conservation • • •

Increase public awareness with bathroom mirror stickers Post signs showing your building-wide commitment to saving water. Encourage water conservation at home as well.

Bathrooms and Water

Use the half flush option - Replace existing higher

Greening the Workplace

Kitchen – Vending Machines The office kitchen has real potential for improving the environmental performance of your business, from reducing your waste production to increasing energy and water efficiency, so it should certainly be included as part of your green office. Plastic or polystyrene cups from drinks vending machines usually end-up in the bin within minutes of being dispensed. It is one of the few waste streams that can be eliminated entirely with little effort, dramatically reducing the amount of waste you produce. Purchase timers for appliances that do not need to be left on outside office hours. Check with your supplier or the manufacturer that mains cut-off will not damage the equipment.

If you bring your lunch to work, pack a 'wastefree' lunch in a reusable container (for example, a washable rigid plastic container). Bring a drink in a thermos or reusable glass bottle instead of using single serving juice boxes or milk cartons. Use a cloth napkin instead of a disposable paper towel or serviette. Use refillable containers of sugar, salt & pepper, etc. to avoid individual condiment packets

BioBio-degradables •

If your office has a kitchen, collect compostable food waste in a covered container for a volunteer to take home daily. A keen gardener may welcome the additional compost supply.

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It may be possible for charities and other local groups to reuse white goods, such as refrigerators and ovens, which you no longer require. In some areas, for example, there are projects that collect white goods for distribution to low-income households.

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Use biodegradable ware, plates and bowls used for take-out only made mostly from starch Items that are compostable are also biodegradable if not composted Purchase items that uses less energy to produce than paper or polystyrene containers 100% recycled unbleached napkins 100% recycled wax paper cups for cold drinks 100% recycled paper cups for hot drinks 100% recycled paper containers Wood stirrers for hot drinks Recycle plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans Use your own hot mug

Bringing lunch to work in reusable containers is likely the greenest (and healthiest) way to eat at work. Getting delivery and takeout almost inevitably ends with a miniature mountain of packaging waste. But if you do order delivery, join coworkers in placing a large order (more efficient than many separate ones). Also, bring in a reusable plate, utensils, and napkins. Rule of thumb: thumb If your non-recyclable trash can is fuller than the recyclable trash can, you are most likely not paying enough attention to your purchases as well as your recycling methods.

Kitchen - Vending Machines

Waste Minimization

Greening the Workplace

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Set up a workplace recycling system for paper, plastics, aluminum, and glass. Remember that wasted materials are wasted money. Be innovative: Examine manufacturing processes for opportunities to increase materials-use efficiency; rethink product packaging; consider composting food waste; and research recycling programs for unwanted electronic equipment. Encourage all employees to reconsider operations with reducing, reusing, and recycling in mind.

1. Every desk should have a paper recycling box. All paper types can be recycled through this system.

stacking them next to the recycling bins or your work station. Note: cleaners will only recycle folded, neatly stacked boxes. Toner cartridges can be recycled - Toner cartridges contain harmful chemicals that can leach into our waterways from landfill. Keep them out of the ground by having them refilled. Avoid, reduce, reuse and then recycle – while recycling is important, avoiding the use of a product that has a lower environmental impact. Where you can, avoid buying a product you don’t need, then reduce, reuse or recycle.

ELECTRONIC RECYCLING

See the EPA for: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/ hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/index.htm

As we become more dependent on electronic products to make life more convenient, the stockpile of used, obsolete products grows. Although used electronics represent less than two percent of the municipal solid waste stream, if we continue to replace old or outdated electronic equipment at our current rate, that percentage will continue to grow.

• • • •

In 2005, used or unwanted electronics amounted to approximately 1.9 to 2.2 million tons. Of that, about 1.5 to 1.9 million tons were primarily discarded in landfills, and only 345,000 to 379,000 tons were recycled.

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Computer monitors and older TV picture tubes contain an average of four pounds of lead and require special handling at the end of their lives. In addition to lead, electronics can contain chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, nickel, zinc, and brominated flame retardants. When electronics are not disposed of or recycled properly, these toxic materials can present problems. Extending the life of your electronics or donating your most up-to-date and working electronics can save you money and saves valuable resources. Safely recycling outdated electronics can promote the safe management of hazardous components and supports the recovery and reuse of valuable materials. 22

Basic Information about reducing electronics waste Frequent Questions and answers about electronic waste Regulations/Standards for handling electronic equipment Publications that offer valuable information about electronic waste Related Links that include resources for recycling and donation programs Market Trends in electronic waste generation and recovery

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2. Cardboard is recycled - by breaking down boxes and

Greening the Workplace

Heating and Cooling In medium to large offices, the number of people and presence of equipment and lights all generate extra heat. This adds to the load the cooling cycle of air-conditioning systems has to deal with. Older office buildings were not designed to cope with the high density of office equipment they now have to deal with. The result is that many buildings cannot be cooled enough to deliver comfortable working conditions throughout the year. This leads to either discomfort and lowering of staff morale and productivity, or very costly replacement or augmentation of air-conditioning systems. Be smart with heating and cooling. Make sure your building has proper insulation and double-paned windows, and fix your buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s air leaks. Simply maintaining your heating and cooling systems can reduce your heating and cooling bills. A poorly maintained heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system uses more energy and wastes money. Systems that are checked annually and kept in good condition use less energy and last longer. Using energy-efficient equipment will give you bonus savings on your air-conditioning bills because you are generating less heat that has to be cooled.

Heating and Cooling

Dress appropriately for the season. No rocket science here! Make sure that you adapt yourself to your environment, not the other way around.

WINDOWS During Use - Energy Efficiency If your office is equipped with blinds or curtains, shut them at the end of the day in winter to keep heat loss down. In summer, use them to prevent your office from overheating. Encourage staff to open the blinds rather than turn lights on. Make sure lights can be switched off manually, particularly near windows. Ensure that windows are not opened while the heating or air conditioning is still on. Make an adjustment to the thermostat or air conditioning unit instead.

Greening the Workplace

Indoor Pollution It has been estimated that most Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, often in synthetic environments filled with chemicals and poor lighting that compromise their health. Many of today's furnishings and other office materials contain numerous toxins. The glues used to hold together pressed wood furniture and building materials, adhere laminated surfaces to furniture, and keep floors and carpets in place often are poisonous. Paints, particularly those that are oilbased, can be another source of toxins in the workplace. The toxins emitted from carpets, furniture, and plastics through "offgassing" can create a variety of health problems in anyone exposed to them. Other toxic materials include cleansers (bathroom, kitchen, wall, and carpet), chemicals used in manufacturing or other processes, perfumes (some airlines actually deny rides to overly perfumed customers), and biocides (pesticides, rodenticides, and insecticides).

Cleaning Chemicals Commercial cleaning products â&#x20AC;&#x201D; disinfectants, degreasers, drain openers, polishes and waxes, window cleaners, caustic cleaners, and toilet cleaners, among many others â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are among the most common sources of employee exposure to toxic chemicals. Yet very little testing has been done on how their use, especially in combination, affects human health, and even less on how these products affect the environment. Solution: Use Eco-Friendly cleaning solutions and work with janitorial companies that only use eco-friendly products. View Guide: Toxic Chemicals, Our Health and the Environment.

Toxic and Hazardous Substances Find alternatives to toxics. Even an office operation can use toxic substances in the form of computer or copier toner, cleaning supplies, glues, batteries, and other supplies. Evaluate all parts of your company, from the front office to the loading dock to the factory floor, to identify opportunities to reduce the use of toxic substances. Talk with suppliers about alternatives to solvents, paints, cleaners, and other products that may contain toxic substances.

In many buildings, the air intake (which is supposed to pull fresher, outdoor air inside) is placed by the loading dock. As a result, fumes from delivery trucks and other vehicles are left to circulate within the buildings. It's no surprise that indoor air pollution can be 10 times worse than that found outdoors.

Properly dispose of toxics. Create a plan to ensure that all employees safely dispose of toxic substances, including batteries, copier toner, paints, motor oil, dyes, solvents, and other substances. Check with your city or county office to locate hazardous waste disposal facilities in your area. View toxic disposal cites at the end of this booklet.

Indoor Pollution

The Unhealthy Office

Greening the Workplace

Transportation A large amount of air pollution comes from personal transportation. Millions of vehicles registered across the country emit tons of air pollutants and gases annually. While automobile manufacturers have made significant improvements in tailpipe emissions over the past two to three decades, the everincreasing number of vehicles on the road reduces these benefits. Moreover, there is an increasing shift towards purchases of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and minivans that can emit up to 40 per cent more pollutants than the average car. Also adding to the smog problem is the “single-occupant vehicle” which represents the most inefficient use of transportation energy. If more people carpooled and took public transit – particularly for commuting to work – transportation emissions would be dramatically reduced. short--term memory, more days of missed work and such ailLong commutes, research has shown, can lead to loss of short ments as higher blood pressure, muscle tension and an accelerated heart rate.

The only commutes found to be low in diesel exposure were those on electric-powered subways and commuter trains, buses running on alternative fuels or retrofitted with diesel particulate filters, and in cars traveling with little truck traffic.

Traveling One of the dirty little secrets of environmental business conferences is that the environmental impacts of the participants' travel often negate any benefits resulting from the gathering itself. The precise environmental costs of travel and meetings are elusive at best, but the point is not: business travel is not particularly environmentally friendly. The impacts come principally from the fuel used by planes, trains, and automobiles, and from the solid waste and other emissions associated with the $175 billion business travel industry.

Transportation

Ultra-fine particulate matter has been linked with premature death, cardiovascular disease and respiratory illness, according to the California Air Resources Board. Though it takes Americans an average of 25 minutes to drive to work, according to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau figures, the board estimates that over 50% of a person's daily exposure to ultra-fine particles can occur during a commute

Greening the Workplace

Transportation Walk, cycle or catch public transport instead

Reduce fuel consumption

Even if you drive one less day per week, you’ll significantly reduce your impact on the environment. Improve facilities for cyclists and walkers by providing secure bike racks, showers and lockers. Not only will the demand for parking be reduced, but your employees will be healthier and therefore more productive.

Careful monitoring of fuel consumption could bring considerable savings for your company, allowing poorly performing vehicles and drivers to be identified. Driving technique can have an important bearing on the vehicles environmental impact. You may want to consider offering training in defensive and fuel-efficient driving and environmental awareness to fleet users.

Providing office facilities and e-mail connections Give your employees the option of telecommuting, putting in a reduced workweek, or working variable hours. Studies show such programs improve employee productivity and retention. When appropriate, allow employees to work at home one day a week. Arrange for computer hookups, extra phone lines, or other low-cost technologies to allow employees to “plug in” to the main office from

Plan your day effectively Have a meeting? Plan it for the beginning or end of your day to reduce car trips.

Green your fleet.

Carpool with a workmate It’s a great way to save money, reduce your emissions and get to know your workmates.

Minimize the need to travel, particularly for meetings, by increasing the use of communications technologies such as e-mail and video conferencing rather than travel to a meeting; if you absolutely need the face time, stay in green hotels. Another way to offset the eco-ills of business travel: invest in a program that will plant trees to absorb the carbon dioxide created by your trips. Host environmentally aware meetings and events. While you’re at it, reduce your travel and conference budget, and impress on clients and stakeholders your widespread commitment to sustainability.

Purchase or lease vehicles with the highest possible fuel economy, or those that use alternative-fuel sources, such as electric, hybrid, or fuel-cell vehicles. Whatever vehicles you use, have them tuned regularly. Keep tire pressures at recommended levels, in order to increase fuel efficiency. When having vehicles serviced, make sure mechanics dispose of used oil, brake fluid, and other substances properly.

Encourage alternative transportation. Your people have to travel, but they don’t have to pollute. Get behind an employee vanpool or car pool program, and offer those who don’t drive incentives to take mass transit. Also, provide environmentally friendly options for those who drive, such as transit subsidies, preferred parking for carpoolers, and racks or lockers for bicyclists. 26

Transportation

Make your meetings matter.

Greening the Workplace

Green your building Environmentally conscious design and construction can reduce a building’s life-cycle costs — the total cost of building, owning, and maintaining the structure. Techniques begin with the building’s sitting — its relationship to the sun, trees, and other things — and can include all of the building’s materials and systems. There are literally thousands of environmentally preferable building items to choose from, ranging from structural products made from recycled materials to flooring made from nontoxic or renewable materials. A 1% increase in worker productivity can provide a company with savings that exceed its entire energy bill, according to a report from the Rocky Mountain Institute, which makes a case for energy efficiency as a way to boost productivity and increase a company’s bottom line. The report looks at design changes -- improved lighting, heating, and cooling -that yielded increased productivity and energy savings for eight U.S. companies. For example, an upgraded light system in a Pennsylvania Power and Light drafting facility produced energy savings of 69%, a 13% increase in employee productivity, and a 25% decrease in absenteeism.

Because traditional buildings consume large amounts of energy and other natural resources and can harm the environment around them, there's a swelling interest in building and occupying more eco-sensitive structures. By integrating natural resource, human health, and community concerns into building design and construction, architects and designers can create buildings that are cleaner, healthier for occupants and the environment, and which deplete fewer resources.

The Upside •

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Context Commercial and residential buildings use one-third of the energy consumed in the United States, and two-thirds of all electricity. Buildings produce roughly a third of carbon dioxide emissions and other emissions that harm air quality. Additionally, buildings generate waste during construction and operation; can have poor indoor air quality, affecting worker health; and often don't consider the impact made on the community through increased transportation, sprawl, and cultural and historical impact. Green buildings address a wide range of topics, including:

• • • • • • • • • • •

water conservation waste management renewable energy sources non-toxic materials recycled/reused materials energy efficiency reduced environmental impact on the building site wise use of space/reduced building size balance of environmental and economic considerations consideration for cultural and historical factors of the site proximity to transportation sources 27

•

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Financial savings resulting from energyefficient and water-saving practices and wiser use of resources. Material costs can be lower if reusing materials. Waste disposal costs also may be lower, both during construction and operation. Tax incentives offered by some cities, counties, and states for energy efficiency and green building. Reduced environmental impact from using fewer resources and producing less waste.

Improved worker productivity and health from more efficient lighting, improved air, less-toxic chemicals, and improved employee satisfaction and well-being. Higher building value from lower operating costs, reduced turnover, and increased property value. Increased sales and customers if the facility is a more pleasant place to shop or if customers choose to do business with an environmentally conscious company.

Green your Building

The Big Picture

Greening the Workplace

Green your building Reality Check Initial capital costs of green building can be higher than for traditional building. A short-term building occupant may not see any payback, as savings generally match the original investment in three to five years. The design and construction process can take longer than in traditional building as the participants become familiar with and implement green building practices.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Choose a building site with access to natural light and shade. Implement day lighting, sloped ceilings, inner windows/atriums, and other passive solar techniques. Install motion-sensitive lights that automatically shut off and task lighting at each desk so individuals can control their own light. Use native plants for landscaping. Investigate the local watershed and where runoff/pollution from construction will flow. Use recycled-content products. Install energy-efficient appliances. Reduce dependence on air conditioning and heating systems by using natural light and shade as well as building features to store heat and cold. Install recycling facilities in the building. Reuse building components, fixtures, and furniture. Utilize water conservation practices, such as use of rainwater for irrigation. Avoid building materials with volatile organic compounds. Ensure an adequate fresh air supply. Supply adequate acoustic control, such as white noise generators. Consider how employees will travel to the site, availability of bike and bus routes. Pay attention to the culture and history of the community as well as past uses of the building. Research regulations that facilitate green design and financial incentives.

Green your Building

Specific green building ideas: ideas

Greening the Workplace

Taking the Next Step Exploit corporate social responsibility Make the most of your corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by publicizing them. Ensure that customers, suppliers and the local community know what you are doing. CSR lends itself to good news stories. Publicity like this can be a key part of using CSR to win contracts. People want to buy from businesses they respect. CSR can be particularly effective for targeting ethical companies, the public sector and not-for-profit organizations. At the same time, you should see CSR as part of a continuing process of building long-term value. Everything you do should help improve your reputation, and encourage customers and other stakeholders to want to be involved with you. A business that buys recycled paper - but exploits its customers and ignores the community - has missed the point.

Taking the Next Step

Effective CSR like this helps you continue to differentiate yourself. Even with dozens of competitors, a real commitment to CSR lets you stand out. Commitment to CSR feeds through into customer service, sales and profits. As well as affecting the way you behave, CSR can lead to new products and services that reflect your values. Over time, it can all add up to a powerful brand - and a winning business.

Seek recognition for your environmental efforts

Take advantage of financial incentives

Apply for corporate environmental awards to benchmark your successful sustainability efforts.

Investigate state and local initiatives that provide financial incentives for environmental efforts. Other programs might offer extensive hands-on assistance for corporate environmental efforts.

Offset environmental impacts

Share your experience with other companies

Calculate your carbon emissions and work to offset them through tree planting, forest protection efforts, energyefficiency projects, and other offset projects.

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten this far, chances are you and your business are a useful resource on how to work cleaner, leaner, and greener. Put your knowledge and experience to work by developing or participating in a corporate environmental mentoring program. Mentoring will help Implement change in your lifestyle reinvigorate your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental efforts, enShow that you care as an individual, not only as an emcourage the growth of new ideas, and provide opportuniployee or member of an organization. Bring the changes into ties for effective networking. your home, talk to your friends and family.

Talk to your co-workers about greening the workplace You can share this toolkit with friends and family as well 29

Greening the Workplace

• • •

Alameda County Recycling Hotline (TOLL-FREE) Home Composting Information Hotline Household Hazardous Waste

(877) STOPWASTE (510) 444-SOIL (800) 606-6606

Contra Costa County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(925) 335-1225 (800) 750-4096

Marin County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(415) 499-6647 (415) 485-6806

Napa County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(707) 257-9292 (800) 984-9661

San Francisco City & County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(415) 554-6193 (415) 554-4333

San Joaquin County • Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste

(209) 468-3066

San Mateo County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(888) 442-2666 (650) 363-4718

Santa Clara County • Recycling • Home Composting • Household Hazardous Waste

(800) 533-8414 (408) 918-4640 (408) 299-7300

Solano County • Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste

(707) 421-6765

Sonoma County • Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste

(707) 565-3375

State of California California Integrated Waste Management Board • Recycling Hotline • California Materials Exchange (CALMAX) • Department of Conservation Recycling Hotline

(916) 341-6000 (877) 520-9703 (800) 732-9253

Bay Area - Hazardous Waste Disposal

Hazardous Waste Disposal - San Francisco Bay Area

Greening the Workplace

Bay Area Recycling Building Green Business For Social Responsibility California Consumer Energy Center Center for Sustainable Innovation Cleaning Products Facts Computer Take Back Campaign Conscious Consumer Coop America Green Pages CSR Europe Direct Computer Disposal E Cycling Earth 911 Employee Transportation Handbook Environment California Environmental Working Group EPA Electronic Recycling EPA: Compliance and Enforcement EPA: Environmental Preferable Purchasing EPA: Small Business Assistance Program Ethical Corporation Flex You Power Green Biz Green Guide Green Light Office Supplies Green Line Paper Green Office Guide Green Office Supplies Greener Buildings Greener Cars Greener Computing Greener Printer Greener World Media Healthy Building Network Joel Makower - blog Natural Resources Defense Council OSHA Responsible Shopper Safer Products Project Small Business Journey Smart Office Spare the Air - Bay Area The Green Office Tiny Footprints Toxic Environment Union of Concerned Scientists Water: Use it Wisely World Business Council on Sustainable Dev. Yahoo Green Car Center

www.bayarearecycling.org www.buildinggreen.com www.bsr.org www.consumerenergycenter.org www.sustainableinnovation.org/ www.cleaningproductfacts.com www.computertakeback.org newdream.org/consumer/ www.coopamerica.org/ www.csreurope.com www.directcomputerdisposal.com www.eiae.org www.earth911.org www.provokare.com/guides/EmployeeTransportationHandbook.pdf www.environmentcalifornia.org www.ewg.org www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/index.htm www.epa.gov/compliance/ www.epa.gov/epp/ www.epa.gov/smallbusiness/help.htm www.ethicalcorp.com www.fypower.org www.greenbiz.com www.thegreenguide.com www.greenlightoffice.com/ www.greenlinepaper.com www.egeneration.co.uk www.dolphinblue.com/ www.greenerbuildings.com www.greenercars.com www.greenercomputing.com www.greenerprinter.com www.greenerworldmedia.com www.healthybuilding.net makower.typepad.com www.nrdc.org www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html www.responsibleshopper.org www.safer-products.org www.smallbusinessjourney.com www.smartoffice.com www.sparetheair.org www.thegreenoffice.com www.tinyfootprints.org www.provokare.com/guides/OurHealthandtheEnvironment.pdf www.ucsusa.org www.wateruseitwisely.com www.wbcsd.org autos.yahoo.com/green_center

Links

Useful Links

Greening the Workplace