What is a Green Office? And 6 Easy Steps to Becoming One

You may have heard the words ‘green’ and ‘sustainable’ quite a bit. With more and more people realizing that the Earth is a finite resource, there has been a bigger push to recycle and reduce waste in order to save the planet.

Businesses are now offering consumers green and sustainable products. You can buy everything from reusable plastic straws to an electric BMW with seats made from recycled plastic bottles.

In Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee, manufacturing companies and universities are implementing policies that make them eco-friendlier.

Businesses are discovering that being an environmentally conscious company is good for the planet and the bottom line.

Can you turn your mid-sized office into a green office? Yes, you can.

A green or sustainable office means you operate your business in such a way that you reduce your overall impact on the environment, and by doing so, make a real difference.

Here are 6 steps you can take to become a green office:

1. Go Digital. Do you print meeting agendas and board minutes? Distribute these documents via email. Ditto for that quarterly report. Consider nixing the fax machine and converting those documents into a digital format and send them via email instead. Does your HR department distribute employee manuals that are updated periodically? Convert the manuals to a pdf format. Employees can conveniently access the manual and updates are easily managed
2. Print double-sided. When you do print, chose double-sided printing. You will use less paper. And, while you’re at it, print in black and white whenever you can. Printing with black ink cost less per page than printing in color.
3. Use Environmentally Friendly Paper. Choose paper that is chlorine free and with high amounts of recycled content.
4. Purchase Multi-functional Copy Machines. Choose copy machines that do more than copy. Multifunction copiers can print, scan, copy, and send faxes (if you still do that – see tip #1). By having one machine do all the work, you save energy and reduce your carbon footprint.
5. Use a Managed Print Service. A Managed Print Service can recommend a printing configuration that will help your office be more productive, eliminate waste, and save money.
6. Store documents digitally. Why not become a paperless office? Use a Managed Document Service to store all the documents currently overflowing your file cabinets. If you are required to archive documents, you can eliminate costly storage fees for records that must be maintained for several years. Storing your archived and current documents digitally keeps them safe and secure.

If you follow, these tips you will be on your way to becoming a greener office!

Hungate Business Services can help you become a green office. We offer Managed Print Services and Management Document Services, call us at (800) 827-5424 or (276) 783-5442 or click here.

We’ll be happy to assess your business needs and come up with a plan that will work best for your office.