Sustainability is present in all of the spheres where we carry out our activities, including our workspace. Small actions such as those we will present can make a great difference in your everyday consumption.
What does being sustainable mean ?
Being sustainable implies carrying out activities in a responsible way to generate a balance between economic growth and caring for the environment.
How to be more sustainable in your company
The sum of small actions, performed by many people in our company can represent an energy saving which may bring our planet closer to the objective of sustainability.
Here we give you some key factors:
Save electricity and water
There are many ways to save electricity which do not require a great effort:
- Make use of daylight: Light from windows reduces the need for artificial light and increases the room temperature, thus dispensing with the need for heating.
- Switch off the lights and a/c when leaving a room: Switch off the lights when you leave your workspace.With regard to the air conditioning, you can make use of the timers which allow the shutdown of the device to be programmed.
- Put your computer on standby mode and switch off in periods of absence: If you are not going to use the computer for a while, it is not necessary to switch it off; using standby mode will be sufficient.Remember to shutdown if you are going to be absent for long periods of time.
- Save water: If your workplace has a dining area and you wash kitchen utensils , close the tap while you do so.Check as well that the taps are not leaking.
Avoid the use of paper and change to digital
Nowadays we have at our disposal diverse digital devices which we use for our work in the company and which can help us to reduce our consumption of paper.
- Do it with a tablet: Taking notes on a tablet is an option which helps the environment and facilitates the exchange of information with a coworker.
- Electronic calendars on the mobile: Electronic calendars are another option for saving paper.
- You can record meetings on your mobile: Nowadays meetings can be recorded using a mobile device.In this way you will also retain all the details.There are tools as well that transcribe audio to text.
- Use recycled paper: If you need to write down things on paper, use the recycled type.
Avoid plastic
- Use your own bottle: Buy your own reusable water bottle and fill it up.This will benefit your health as well, due to the harmful chemicals present in plastic bottles.
- Instant coffee instead of capsules: Capsules are a quick and easy option but they are not recyclable. They produce great damage to the environment. Changing to instant coffee helps us to be more sustainable.
- Create your recycling space: Having specifically identified places for each type of waste material in your work area makes it easier to reycle when disposing of rubbish.
Shop locally
Although present-day generations think globally, they hold local activity in high regard as a way of being socially responsible for the following reasons.
- Helping the development of your local area: Shopping in local businesses helps the economic development of the area and the generation of employment.
- You encourage small businesses: By shopping in the small businesses near your place of work you help to foment them and make them more long-lasting.
- You save on packaging materials: As long-distance transport is avoided, fewer materials will be needed to package the products.
- Less fuel is consumed: As the supply chain is reduced, less fuel is consumed and Co2 emissions are reduced.
Be sustainable on your way to work
Every day millions of people commute from home to their places of work using different means of transport.This involves a devastating ecological footprint which we could help to reduce.
- Car share with your coworkers: Share the car with your coworkers and set up rotas. This will help the environment and allow you to save money on fuel.
- Public transport: Use public transport to go to work.This is another economical option which contributes to the reduction of pollutant emissions.
- Fuel-efficient vehicles: Fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrids and electric vehicles are increasingly popular thanks to their reduced environmental impact.
- Bicycle: Using a bicycle as a means of transport will help to reduce Co2 emissions and keep you fit.
Encourage your coworkers to be sustainable
In order to foment the sustainability of your business, it is interesting to apply this concept to everything that surrounds the company. Create links with companies that follow the same philosophy.
Also, invite your colleagues to follow sustainable actions such as these.Promoting this lifestyle will generate a big impact on our quality of life in the medium and long term. Go for it!
Foto de portada: Jason Goodman on Unsplash
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