Environmental Tips for Individuals: Your Work

Separate page: Sustainable Solutions for Getting Around Town

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Your Work

• Recycling Program: If a recycling program has not already been started at your company, start one yourself (or improve the program already in place). Learn more at Recycling in the Workplace.
• Recycled Material: Encourage the office/purchasing manager to purchase products containing recycled material (paper, plastic, etc.). Learn more at Recycled Plastic Products (U.S. and Canada).
• Materials Exchange: You can find exchange programs at Recycler's World and State-specific Materials Exchange Programs (U.S.)
• Product Design: Better by Design helps in designing environmentally friendly products.
• Green Purchasing: Learn about green purchases through:
  • Responsible Purchasing Network
  • Green Seal of Approval
  • Purchasing environmentally-friendly building products (free software)
  • Environmental Yellow Pages
  • Green Pages Online
• Energy Reduction: Schedule an energy audit through your local energy provider to determine how to reduce energy use. Learn more at Energy Star for Small Business.
• Environmental Policy: Strategic Planning resources for defining your company's environmental policy:
  • GreenBiz.com Greening Your Business
  • Source Reduction
  • Waste Prevention World
  • WasteWi$e (EPA)
  • National Environmental Performance Track (EPA)
  • Other EPA Voluntary Programs
  • Free Software Packages for Environmental Awareness (EPA)
  • Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI)
  • The Natural Step
  • Natural Capitalism
  • Biomimicry (including the Biomimicry Guild Database)
  • Cradle to Cradle
  • CERES (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies)
• Green Meetings and Conventions: A growing number of businesses are greening their meetings and conventions. Get started with 10 Easy Tips. Learn more through the EPA and the Green Meeting Industry Council.
• Green Building: Encourage your company to look into building or leasing space in a "green" building. The EPA can provide information through their Business Improvement program.
• Shipping: Whenever possible, choose environmentally-friendly packaging material. If your company uses pallets to ship boxes stabilized with stretch wrap, strapping, or corner boards, look into switching to more environmentally-friendly unitizing systems such as Lock n' Pop (no endorsement intended).
• Junk Mail: Check into ways to reduce business junk mail
• Computers: Buy refurbished computers for less. Also consider donating used computer equipment. If you purchase new equipment, Zero Waste created the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool and Greenpeace offers a Guide to Greener Electronics to assist companies with making greener choices.
• Reusing Ink Cartridges: Cartridge World will refill your printer cartridges at half retail price.
• Paper Use: Use both sides of each piece of paper -- for note taking or printing documents from your computer (at home or work). Create notepads by stapling together once-used paper.
• Lunch: Pack a Waste-Free Lunch whenever possible.
• Break Room: Ask co-workers to bring their unwanted cups, mugs, plates, cloth napkins, and silverware to work to replace disposable items in the break room.
• Green Hotels: Encourage your company to use the Green Hotel Initiative's Best Practices Survey to determine which hotels to book traveling employees or visitors at.
• Books: Books on natural capitalism, cradle to cradle, and biomimicry.