Green offices have been a trend for some time now. Today, more companies are trying to promote sustainable values to their employees, as well as remodeling their work spaces. This, in order to contribute to the care of nature and the environment.
Creating a healthier world is essential to generate in society the values of maintaining a pleasant working environment. Thus, those who are part of them feel that they are helping the world, with an ecological and sustainable attitude. The best thing is that it will help you to reduce many expenses.
But how do you go about making your office green? In this post we will tell you what this trend is about and how you can transform your office into a positive place that respects nature. Let’s go!
Table of Contents
What are green offices?
The ecological offices or better called “green offices” are those based on respect for the environment. In other words, they help strengthen everything that has to do with the ecological footprint.
According to the United Nations (UN), these types of offices are green from their furniture to the actions taken by employees. These actions must be sustainable towards environmental awareness, such as the use of water, waste, energy, use of paper, among others.
Top 10: Green office ideas
There are many positive actions you can take to achieve a green office. Here are 10 practical and simple ideas that have become a trend today:
1. Recycle paper
Currently, there are exclusive containers for paper recycling. Place them in various places in the office for your employees to deposit their waste. This way, the paper will go directly to the container and then be recycled. However, the best action is to avoid using paper as little as possible by digitizing all your company’s processes and requirements.
2. Stable temperature
In every office, one of the biggest consumptions comes from the air conditioning and heating system. Therefore, it is recommended that they be kept at a stable and adequate temperature. In this way, you will save a lot of energy and have an adequate temperature to work with.
3. Uses multi-purpose printers
Multi-purpose printers are the best choice for offices because they are 3-in-1, print, photocopy and scan. This type of printer consumes half the energy that each individual device would use. And if you want to save more, you can recycle your ink cartridges and toner.
4. Water dispensers
Water dispensers will be more ecological and sustainable if you avoid the use of disposable plastic cups. We suggest that you campaign for each employee to bring their own cup or glass for coffee or tea. This habit ensures a more ecological office and you will not use so much plastic.
5. Natural light
If the office is surrounded by windows, let natural light in through them. Turn off the lights and you can’t imagine how much you can save. But, if you don’t have windows, use energy-saving bulbs that last longer and save more energy.
6. Raising awareness of workers’ habits
Energy savings will also depend on the habits of the employees. Therefore, you should motivate your employees to be aware of this issue, turning off the equipment that they do not use such as computers, printers, among others. Also, they can do their part by turning off unused lights.
7. Ecological decoration
An excellent ecological attitude is that employees are calm and have positive vibes. Therefore, the ideal is to have furniture with pleasant colors, with wavy forms and decorated with natural materials that relaxes the employees. Also, you can acquire desks made of natural wood, using office materials made from recycled products.
Decorating with plants will help to harmonize the environment, thanks to the fact that they provide humidity and can absorb much of the radiation emitted by electronic devices. In addition, they brighten up the view of everyone in the office and help to create an excellent working climate.
8. Cleaning with Soap
Avoid cleaning offices with chemicals. This is because they can be toxic to the environment, especially to cleaning staff.
9. What you do outside the office is also important
You can organize your trip to the office with just one vehicle and take your colleagues with you. This will reduce the number of vehicles on the road and encourage integration and collaboration among colleagues.
10. Work at home
Depending on the activities you do, you can do them from home. This will help to reduce the carbon dioxide from vehicles in the environment.
Benefits of having a green office
Green offices have many benefits including increased productivity. This is because they bring employees happiness and efficiency. Here are some other benefits of this “green” trend
Stimulates cognitive thoughts
Studies show that green offices can produce an increase in cognitive faculties. In addition, they offer employees improvements in the use of information, strategies and successful responses to various situations. It prioritizes their health and that of the environment.
Employee motivation
Introducing calm and relaxing colors, combined with natural plant decorations will have a positive effect on the efficiency of your employees. They will have a significant increase in productivity and satisfaction, as well as their levels of concentration, thanks to their work space.
Promote a healthy work space
If the office has natural light, better ventilation and plants completely improve the workplace. Companies that have implemented eco-friendly practices in their offices have noticed a decrease in worker absenteeism due to illness.
If you still don’t know where to buy products for your green office, you should check out our online store. Remember, the importance of achieving a green office lies primarily in the commitment of the company owners and their employees.
