8 Workplace Sustainability Hacks You’ll WANT to Try
We all know we should print less, recycle more and switch off our monitors to reduce our office carbon footprint, but there are always more things co-workers could do to spice up their sustainability. Todor Madzhrov, co-founder of MEAVO, the forward-thinking makers of eco-friendly, customisable soundproof office phone booths for open-plan offices, has created the ultimate guide for shaking-up your eco-efforts.
Have more pyjama days – “There are almost 23m full-time workers in the UK, many of whom travel an average of eight miles into work everyday. An employee who works from home one day per week can save over £1K per year on commuting and reduce their carbon emissions by 1,300 KG*.”
Say no to clients – “You may have a client who wants to hold a face-to-face meeting every month, which probably involves a certain amount of miles being covered. Yet, in this digital age, what’s the point in long and expensive journeys when video conferencing technology has developed so quickly? Some may prefer the personal touch, but with most businesses committing to cutting their carbon footprint, most wouldn’t disagree with your environmental reasons for cutting back on the travel.”
Demand sustainable equipment with a good story – “Who wouldn’t want to use paper that’s made from recycled coffee cups, work at a sustainably sourced, non-toxic wooden desk or make an important call from a booth that’s completely soundproofed made from 800 recycled plastic bottles?
Get an office pet(s) – “A recent Yale University study** discovered that worms can really help fight the effects of global warming. Plus they are super fascinating, which makes up for the lack of cuteness. If you have some outdoor space, it’s definitely worth investing – they eat pesky microbes which are tiny organisms that release substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into the environment. Plus, your banana peels could be transformed into compost and put to good use, which brings us on to…”
Achieve genuine personal growth – “Try transforming that scrubby excuse for a garden into an office veg patch and it’ll work wonders for your team’s wellbeing. Gardening is a well-documented stress-reliever, and the more planting we all do, the more carbon dioxide we can fight. No outdoor space? Not to worry, living walls and indoor gardens work just as well.”
End water cooler gossip – “What’s wrong with tap water? There are several reasons why the water cooler needs to go (apart from the gossip). The transport required to deliver the bottles, the electricity to cool it, not to mention the unnecessary plastic used for the bottles.”
Be brutal – “OK, maybe not quite brutal, but every time you think of sending an email to say, ‘thank you, you too, see you later’, it’s contributing to the release of 23, 475 tons of carbon into the environment per year*** through the 64m unnecessary emails that are sent every day. Put the planet over politeness and think twice.
Eat well – “Buying lunch on-the-go generates almost 11 billion items of single-use plastic waste per year****, and who wants to eat mass-produced, expensive sandwiches everyday? How about creating a rota where co-workers take turns to prepare a dish for the team? Or get an office food shop delivered. It might generate some waste, but nothing like purchasing single items – plus, you can make tasty, healthy meals, save money AND reduce your carbon footprint.”
For more information on MEAVO’s products, or to book a viewing or download a product spec sheet, visit: https://www.meavo.com
