10 top tips to a greener workplace

Morgan Lovell develops “carbon neutral” office environments – whatever they are. They say it’s “a sustainable office interior uses less energy – so you could save at least 25% on your energy bills, year after year. Having recognised environmental assessment ratings, like BREEAM (British Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s ‘green building’ rating system), can boost your reputation, too.”

Here’s ten hints for a greener office:

1. Shutdown: When leaving the office for lunch or a meeting, switch off the computer completely.

2. Switch Off: Switch off the lights whenever a room is empty.

3. Unplug: Unplug mobile phone chargers, one of the worst culprits for putting a drain on energy.

4. Open up: Open up the blinds to emit natural light and use the window to provide natural ventilation.

5. Take A New Route: Leave the car at home one day a week and opt for public transport, car pooling, walking or cycling. This would cut rush hour traffic by 20% each day.

6. Print-Wise: Print on both sides and print conservatively.

7. Bin The Bins: Reuse and recycle, as in total UK businesses waste more than 4.6m tonnes of paper each year, which laid end-to-end would stretch 360,000km – almost the whole way to the moon.

8. Turn Down the Heat: Turn the heat down by 1ºC and your office can cut heating bill by 10%.

9. Champion the Cause: Each week allocate someone in the office to manage office sustainability; essentially ensuring that lights are switched off and that all the equipment is properly shut down at the end of each working day. This will develop a sense of responsibility within the office workers and make energy conservation part of an everyday routine.

10. Set A Target: Outline a plan to help cut office CO2 emissions. Once a target is achieved, continue to monitor CO2 levels so that sustainability can be successfully maintained.