Four Ways You Can Promote an Eco-friendly Workspace

Looking after the environment has become one of the main causes that people in the UK feel most strongly about. As scientists grow increasingly concerned about rising temperatures and David Attenborough produces documentaries highlighting the damage humans are inflicting upon our planet, more and more people are doing their bit to go green.

While changing our behaviour and habits in our personal lives will make a big difference to these efforts, the world of business presents a chance to make a real difference.

Here are a few ways that you can promote an eco-friendly ideology in your workplace.

Recycle supplies

The average business will produce a lot of waste through its day to day routine, a lot of which can be recycled. Unsurprisingly, paper is a recyclable resource which many office-based businesses get through a lot of - but other things such as ink cartridges, batteries and even electronic devices can all be sent away to be recycled when you're done with them. It's well worth stopping and thinking before you throw anything away - you'll be surprised how green you can be with your waste these days.

Of course, this isn't the only way of recycling items. Simply re-using or donating items which are no longer useful is a great way of making sure fewer items end up in landfill. Items such as office chairs can be upgraded regularly, so instead of simply throwing the old one in a skip, why not donate it to charity if it's in a good enough condition?

Start a cycle to work scheme

Depending on how far away employees live away from the office, a cycle to work scheme is a great way of removing cars from our roads and getting employees active, which comes with all sorts of associated health benefits too.

There's plenty of information dedicated to setting these schemes up online and there are lots of perks to setting one up, including employers offering discounts on new bikes as an incentive to take part.

Promote car sharing

In the same vein as the cycle to work scheme, asking employees who live close to one another to share lifts is a great way to encourage people to help to reduce commuter traffic.

There's also the added benefit for employees of saving on their weekly petrol bills and having company on those long commutes, which has a mutual wellbeing and morale benefit.

Offset emissions

Regardless of the procedures that businesses put in place, for the most part there will always be some amount of carbon emissions that are created. However, instead of just accepting this, businesses can opt to donate money in order to plant trees and offset these.

The theory is that the oxygen created by the newly planted trees will make up for the carbon dioxide created by your organisation. It's a great way of ensuring your business can hold its head high and state confidently that it is a carbon neutral enterprise. It's great for the environment and potentially a great PR opportunity too!