If you maintain ‘green’ habits at home, then why not your office?
According to research, many people who maintain green habits at home fail to do so at the office [1]. Yet considering that we spend more time at home than the work place, two-thirds to one-third respectively, it is worth noting this should not be over looked and that within this time we should continue to do our bit and promote sustainable and environmentally friendly habits wherever we go. Website, ‘A Greener Office’, provides an interesting fact, stating that more emissions are generated in the workplace than at home. Businesses producing 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions, compared to 27% for households [2]. If this is the case then why are ‘green’ habits left at the front gate to begin with? Logicalis, an ICT provider conducted some research to find out why; this is what they found out:
- The belief that speed and efficiency were more important in comparison to environmental issues within the office [1].
- The belief that their boss would not be interested and that only lip service was paid to environmental issues [1].
However, regardless of the two opinions above:
- Two-thirds believed that employers should offer some kind of incentive or reward for those who do make attempts to save resources [1].
Whether or not you fall into one of these categories (above) an attempt will be made in this article to address these issues. For instance, will the need to adopt energy saving habits really impact our overall speed and efficiency? Also, whether the boss wants to or not, or incentives are in place, why should we let such matters hinder energy saving techniques? This article will shed light on numerous habits that can be adopted, in order to all do our bit to help sustain resources and reduce our impacts on the environment.
Electronic Devices
Standby/Sleep VS Hibernate
Just as you would (hopefully) conserve energy at home by turning off the TV, instead of leaving it on standby, why not do the same with your computer? As mentioned above, it seems speed and efficiency was valued as quite important in the work place. However, when using your computer, have you ever wondered what the differences were between Standby/ Sleep and Hibernate? Did you even notice a difference when you tried these different options to being with?
- Standby/Sleep: When leaving your laptop and selecting these options, your computer goes into Standby/Sleep and the following processes occur: Your data is stored in RAM (Random Access Memory) and power is divided between items such as your hard drive and monitor. Upon return it allows for a quick start up in which you can continue to resume use.
- Hibernate: Instead of storing it in RAM, your data is saved onto a hard disk and your laptop is shut down. Similarly to Standby/Sleep, once you start it up again, the data (windows you have left open, browser, word document etc) is resumed for use.
So what is the difference? Generally, Standby/Sleep should be used if you’re leaving your computer for a few minutes. However, as mentioned, it still uses energy and furthermore, if you lose power, or there is a black out while you’re away (and it loses power) all your data will be lost. Hibernate, should be used for lunch periods or prolonged periods. But what if you did not even notice the difference between the start up speeds of the two? Well, then why not use Hibernate for everything? If leaving your computer for a short-to-long while, then just unplug it from the socket, and put it on hibernate.
Note: Check whether your computer has a Sleep-Hibernate option (also known as Hybrid Sleep). As the title suggests, your desktop first sleeps and if you are away from the computer for too long, a shift from a Sleep into a Hibernate state will occur [3]. Or why not consider a gadget such as the EcoButton which helps you save energy through a ‘suspend’ state on your laptop or computer.
Sometimes computers are left on overnight for both maintenance or update purposes. If your IT department does not do so already, why not get them to create or send pop up messages informing all users of computer maintenance schedules. That way, all users are aware of what days and times they are allowed to turn off their computers. This is because for some companies, maintenance or update processes may not necessarily be occurring after every day.
Unplug unnecessary devices
When using various electronic devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, Ipods, MP3 Players etc. Do you constantly leave the device charging in the plug socket at work? Depending on the type of battery, over-charging your devices can lead to a loss in overall battery life. Instead, at least a minimum discharge (does not have to be a full discharge) should be allowed in order for your batteries to enter a discharge/charge cycle [4]. By unplugging your devices, even if fully charged, you may find that your battery life span lasts a little longer [See article, 4]!
Switch to Energy Efficient Models
If your office or department is upgrading or replacing IT equipment, why not switch to energy efficient models? Look for Energy Saving Trust models. An Energy Saving Trust desktop uses 40% less energy than an average new computer and could save you around £70 over five years of use [5]. While Energy Saving Trust do not certify laptops at the moment, according to them, they are more efficient than desktops! A new laptop uses 80% less energy than a new desktop [5]! If you can, make a switch!
Digitise
With vast improvements in technology, documents are now more portable than ever. Especially with the popularity of tablets such as iPad’s, Kindle’s and Nook’s on the rise, why not keep files digital and dematerialised as much as possible? It is more pleasant to read on paper? With new matte E-Ink screens and much improved LCD Screens (with faster page refreshments than much older screens) being used in many devices today, the argument that a more pleasant reading experience is experienced only on paper may soon be a thing of the past! Keeping the documents on the computer reduces storage space, and it also allows users to make backup copies or copies for distribution. Perhaps you can read documents and discard them on the go by using laptops or tablets? Reduce your paper load where you can, but if you have to print it, instead, change the printer settings to double sided or maybe even split the page into two so you can fit four pages on two sides of the paper!
Recycling
Similar to the practices used at home, many of you will be aware that the following items can be recycled: Paper, Cans and Plastic (Bottles). Can you do the same in the work place? By keeping assorted bins in the work place, in locations not restricted to just the kitchen, you can encourage more people to recycle. Using a variety of bins makes disposal and collection a lot easier as well.
Use “Green” Resources
Recycled Paper: Why used recycled paper? See our own Energy Saving Warehouse article for some great information, article 6. Even recycled paper uses energy, water and chemical resources in processing. So just imagine that, in addition to chopping trees, transporting wood and repeating the process above! Everything comes in a recycled form: paper, envelopes, pads, folders, post-it-notes etc. You can purchase these products from almost any stationary store. The prices need not be that expensive either!
Pens and Pencils: These too can also be recycled and purchased. Refillable pens are often the better option for purchase (although recycled plastic pens are available) because the cartridges are made of metal.
Recycle Printer Cartridges: Printer cartridges can often cost a lot of money. As an alternative, why not refill the inks instead? Many stores such as Cartridge World are able to refill the inks of cartridges at a price, depending on your printer cartridge type. As another alternative, why not recycle your cartridges for money? Yes, believe it or not, some companies such as Cash For Cartridges will allow you to do just that. You can even order a collection bin for businesses, schools and charities from http://www.cashforcartridges.co.uk/ . The amount of money paid depends on the type of cartridge and whether or not you have recycled the cartridges before.
Kitchen Habits
Lunch Time: Bringing and making your own lunch in reusable plastic containers is definitely the ‘greenest’, the cheapest, and perhaps the healthiest way you can eat at work. By purchasing deliveries, takeouts or packaged sandwiches you are often paying high mark up prices for the service and packaging. Not to mention, a lot of the packaging will end up as packaging waste. So don’t forget the lunchbox at home and if necessary, your own utensils as well!
Lighting
Lights out, all out
When not around, turn it off!
Ask your boss/or if you’re the boss switch your light bulbs to energy efficient ones.
Do you or your boss know what types of light bulbs are used at work? Find out! Inefficient light bulbs such as incandescent and halogen light bulbs are slowly being phased out [7]. Why? The reason is because alternatives such as LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs are much more energy efficient! See our own Energy Saving Warehouse articles [See, 7, 8]. Here a just a few reasons you should be finding out, what bulbs are in your office:
- Energy efficient bulbs are five times brighter than traditional bulbs [8].
- Energy efficient bulbs can be changed less frequently as they last up to ten times as long as incandescent bulbs [8].
- They use around 80% less energy than traditional bulbs [8].
- Get light motion sensors for offices or use automatic timers for lights. This will help those of you who are forgetful and reduce the number of lights that are left on during the night.
Heating
Get a programmable thermostat
This device will help keep your building warm/cool when people are present and save power and money when people are away.
Investigate & Promote Green Initiatives
Placing ‘green initiatives’ at the forefront of business agendas, such as looking for more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives, could help increase productivity and raise profits for your business. Consumers, or even other businesses, will often support fellow businesses that aim to go ‘green’ in comparison to those that don’t. Many companies are already doing so. The Sunday Times for instance, runs an annual ‘Best Green Companies’ award that aims to, “identify and celebrate the achievements of British businesses that are striving to improve their environmental performance” [9]. International accreditation also exists which can help build your work or business brand power, aiming to recognise organisations that manage its environmental responsibilities [see article, 10].
So, having concluded this article, will many of these energy saving tips or ‘green’ practices really slow down your day? Do you need much more incentive in order to save money, help the environment and improve resource efficiency in your work environment? Hopefully, this article has addressed these issues and attempts to promote green habits within the office environment.
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/jan/15/business.workandcareers
[2] http://www.agreeneroffice.co.uk/
[3] http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Sleep-and-hibernation-frequently-asked-questions
[4] http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/do_and_dont_battery_table
[5] http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/
[6] http://www.energysavingwarehouse.co.uk/news/15/20/Why-use-Recyled-Paper.html
[7] http://www.energysavingwarehouse.co.uk/news/99/20/Light-Emitting-Diode-LED-Lighting.html
[8] http://www.energysavingwarehouse.co.uk/news/102/20/Energy-Efficient-Lighting.html
