Few of us know that while we think our machines are sleeping, they are actually leeching 25% of the power that they consume from us. We also don’t often think about the fact that more than half the trees chopped down in the world are used for paper.
In an ecologically challenged world, just these two facts make a compelling argument for turning to green printing. Not printing in green ink, but printing in an ecologically sustainable manner. How do you do that?
In the past, it seemed like anyone who suggested recycling or using greener methods of production was called a tree hugging hippie. However, in today’s society, that’s no longer true. Recycling programs exist in almost every major city, and businesses around the world are looking into greener, more environmentally friendly ways of producing, shipping, and advertising their products. To many, though, going green is a behind the scenes tactic – surely it can’t affect business that much, right? Wrong. Consumers, especially environmentally conscious ones, often will support businesses that go green over those that don’t. Sometimes, they are even willing to pay a bit more if it means saving the environment!
Boosting your green image, however, can be somewhat difficult. How can you go about learning exactly what methods to implement to make your business more environmentally friendly? Research can help bring these methods to light, as can looking at practices implemented by competing businesses. However, their practices are not always apparent, and they may not be willing to share their methods with you.
When aiming to reduce your carbon footprint, there are many aspects of life where changes can be made to start making a difference, especially where our workplace routines are concerned. One simple area highlighted in part 1 of our guide to a greener workplace is with regard to paper-saving measures that can be put in place; most of which are simple steps to creating a greener office that also have both time and money saving advantages on their side as well as their obvious environmental impact reducing benefits.
Making inroads into policies regarding paper usage is only one area that changes can be made to improve the green credentials of your business however. Everybody knows the importance of saving energy, and with a little thought and the implementation of revised work practices and habits, everybody can do their bit to help reduce the reliance their workplace has on fossil fuels and minimise the amount of energy wasted each year.
Everybody knows the importance of saving energy at home, but when you consider the average amount of time spent at work is 37 hours a week, it becomes easy to see the huge amount of capacity for energy saving and being greener in the workplace.
Although many companies have policies of corporate responsibility and tell people about their environmental commitments, there is also a large amount of companies currently doing little or nothing to reduce their environmental impact. But it’s not just down to employers to be making changes and green decisions; employees can make changes to their daily routine and actions in the workplace by recycling office waste and reducing the amount they contribute to their company’s carbon footprint.
When it comes to offices jobs, there is so much electrical equipment buzzing away all day, from computers to fax machines, photocopiers to air conditioning, and many many lightbulbs humming from at least 8am-5pm and often on into the evening. However not every job is in a building of rows of computers and office equipment. Most places of work do have common areas where changes can be made however; simple changes that require minimal effort, in order to reduce the impact the business has on the planet we live on.
So Sainsbury’s have become the latest supermarket to remove carrier bags from their tills. This adds their name to a growing list, along with Asda and Co-Operative Food, and what a good idea! Take the bags away, and it will encourage people to use their own bags instead! Well… that, unfortunately, is not always quite the way it works out, and I’m sure I’m not the only one to have noticed this.
Just this week, I was picking up a few bits and pieces from my local Sainsbury’s and heard announced over the tannoy, “Sainsbury’s will no longer be offering plastic bags at the tills in order to encourage customers to use their own bags. Bags will be available if you need them – just ask the cashier at the till”.
“What a good idea!” I said to my partner at the time. “Sainsbury’s’ environmental policies keep getting better!” (more…)
Now I’m not talking here about Tesco becoming telepathic or Asda having the ability to fly. I’m talking Super Powers in the sense of World War II and supremacy on the scale of America or Russia.
Everyone knows the names of the big Supermarket chains, and even the smaller ones, but that’s by the by. Most of us depend on (or think we do) at least one of these giants to provide our food, fuel our cars, replace electrical goods when they decide they have had enough of this cruel world, and even protect us against all manner of things with house, car and travel insurance to name but a few.
So. Here is my big question. In a world where resources are running out, global warming is looming on the horizon, and people’s awareness of issues such as animal welfare, food miles and genetic modification are at a level where they want to see action and action fast, couldn’t somebody with the publicly known wealth of an organisation like Tesco or Asda, or even some of the oil companies to broaden the argument, use some of their wealth to help the rest of us? Let’s face it, I know it’s not going to happen because it can’t, but if everybody stopped buying from supermarkets, their profit would fall fast. They have only made it because of us. (more…)
