Making a Green Office Space

Use these tips to make a green environment that reduces your impact on Earth and relieves stress, too!

1. Incorporate a few plants.  This will clean the air, increase humidity and create a soothing atmosphere.
2. Change your computer settings to hibernate or shut down automatically to save energy.
3. Always shut your computer down at the end of the work day--it's better for your machine and better for the environment.
4. Take a bit off the sides...of your documents, that is!  Changing your default margin to less than one inch will cut down on paper usage.*
5. If possible, turn off your overhead lights and use desk and floor lamps with eco-friendly bulbs.  This can also create a warmer atmosphere in your work space.
6. Make it easy to recycle by keeping a bin on or under your desk.  It's more efficient to make one trip to the larger office bin.
7. Do you really need to print that form or document?  Maintaining records can be simpler by saving paperwork to a shared drive; everyone can access the information and you'll save paper, too.
8. Are phantoms zapping your electricity while you're away?  Yes, they are!  "Phantom loads" are items using up energy even if  they aren't turned on; so take the extra step and zap the phantoms by getting a special power strip!*

*adapted from The Ideal Bite