Green Houston

There are plenty of lists about things to do in general, and at home, but I haven’t seen much on the little things you can do in the corporate world to help out. I know many companies, especially in Houston, don’t have a recycling program, nor are they very environmentally efficient. But here are a few easy things you can do to make a difference. They may be simple and small, but if even just a few of us did some of these things, we’d be in much better shape. What are some things you do in your business environment to help out?

1. Turn your office light off EVERY time you leave your office.
I know when I’m at home, I am always telling my kids to turn off the lights because they are wasting electricity. Well, it’s the same thing at the office. Don’t just turn your light off when you leave for the day, turn it off when you run to the bathroom, meeting, lunch, etc. I also turn off the light in the bathroom and break room when I leave…it’s not hard to turn it back on, and it saves energy…think about it! If you’re concerned people will think you’re out of the office, establish some new rules. Maybe if the light is off but the door is open, I’m just away from my desk. If the door is closed, I’m out of the office. Be flexible!

2. Recycle/Shred your paper.
We don’t recycle at my office, yet I have tons of paper product every week that would normally just go in the trash. Instead, I keep a small cardboard box under my desk, and at the end of the week I dump it in the shred box, which is taken by a professional company who ends up recycling it in the end.

3. Recycle Cans and/or Drink Water
If your company doesn’t currently recycle cans, you should really push for it. It’s pretty darn easy to put a trash can in the break room with a lid with a hole in it for cans only. If your company won’t allow a recycle bin in your area, bring a bag or box from home to toss your cans in. Better yet, drink water instead! It’s better for you anyways.

4. Shutdown your computer every day.
I know a lot of people like to leave their system running and just turn off the monitor. That used to be a big time-saver because computers used to take a long time to boot up. Nowadays, you’re looking at 30-60 seconds max. So shut it down every night! If you can’t shut it down, at least try to put it on hibernate or standby to save power.

5. Raise Awareness
This post came about because many companies don’t currently offer anything in the way of recycling or any other environmental support. I’m doing something about it by raising awareness, talking to my coworkers about these tips, and trying to get a recycling program started. You can do the same thing at your workplace! The more people you tell, the more people will take part in helping our environment.

All these things are so simple to do! If we all do a little, we can help a LOT!