By Emily Hayes
In honor of Earth Day, let’s talk trash! You may not know this, but the average person generates 4.4 pounds of waste per day… yeah, you read that right, per day! If you do the math, that’s 1,606 pounds a year for just ONE person! To reduce waste, you just need be a little more mindful and try to use eco-friendly products.
Here are 5 easy ways to make your office more eco-conscious:
1. Extend the life of your everyday supplies by looking for ways to re-use. Invest in re-usable options. Single use items (especially plastics) are a huge part of the earth’s pollution problem and investing in re-usable supplies such as kitchen items (cups, bowls, utensils), bags, cloths, earplugs and more helps immensely.
2. Keep your used materials out of landfills by recycling what you no longer need. This is a big deal. An easy way to lessen your landfill burden is to have separate containers for garbage, recycling and compost that are clearly labeled. That makes it easy for employees to separate properly.
Staples will recycle items like printer parts or tech products responsibly. All you need to do is order a box for these specific recycling items and then set up a pickup service directly through Staples.
3. Reduce your office energy use by installing a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature during non-working hours. Fun fact: You can save up to 10 percent on your energy bill by lowering your thermostat 10 degrees for eight hours a day! Small changes make a big difference.
4. Make the office literally greener by investing in plants. Plants help purify the air and they can reduce stress. You might think there’s no way plants will live in your office with minimal sunlight and dry air, but there are several options for indoor plants (succulents, snake plants and cacti to name a few) that will thrive in your workspace.
5. Purchase eco-friendly and sustainable products. If you’re having trouble finding these types of supplies to outfit your office, look no further than Staples. They have more than 16,000 products with environmental-friendly features, including paper, cleaners, coffee, furniture and electronics.
Plus, NPP business members get aggressive cooperative contract pricing from Staples. You can save on office supplies, technology, janitorial, furniture and more!
If your business is not already an NPP member, join NPP for free. There’s no obligation to buy. We negotiate exclusive deals with big brands by the power of more than 300,000 members nationwide. Our catalog of business discounts includes Verizon Wireless, Sherwin-Williams, Priceline, Airgas and, of course, Staples.
But, back to Earth Day and have a green office space. Think about the impact we could make if we all made small environmental decisions in our everyday behavior. The harsh reality is our planet has taken major hits due to modern life and the billions of people on our planet. Remember, if you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Check out green products from Staples and other recycling options. Then save with a free NPP membership.