Earth Day

GoPatsNH

Earth Day was yesterday, which got me thinking... what are some of you doing to make your workplaces "greener?" I'm looking for ideas.  Thanks!

IrisD

I just read an article on the Internet saying that an Adecco USA Workplace Insight Survey regarding Earth Day said that 50 percent of those surveyed want their companies to be more environmentally friendly, but only one-third said they would base a decision about where to work on how "green" a company was.

californian

We have two trashcans in each workspace -- one for recycling and one for "other". We recycle several tons of material every month that would have otherwise gone into the trash. We also recycle packaging material to a vendor that gives us a materials discount on future orders. For Earth day, we sponsored a team of employees who volunteered to clean a stretch of a local stream (t-shirts, refreshments and gloves, trashbags). Recently, we hired an eco friendly cleaning service that uses natural cleaning products (Shaklee http://yhst-19093509374312.stores.yahoo.net/). The employees at our company really seem to appreciate the effort and are enthusiastic about recycling.

bevhunt

I  believe that greening the workplace can also reduce sick days and increase productivity as well as helping the environment.

Deidre Imus has some information and resources on reducing cleaning chemicals in the workplace at http://www.dienviro.com/index1.aspx?BD=17660

Also, don't take the "greening" of the workplace too literally; if workplace plants aren't maintained properly, they can cause more harm than good (mold, allergens, etc.)

 

 

SFbay

I read about the Philadelphia Eagles reimbursing employees who purchase wind energy. Is this something that is feasible in other places? Does anyone know how this works?  How do you go about purchasing wind energy in the first place?

countrygirl

Our company doesn't provide disposable cups for coffee or water - everyone has to bring in their own mug or water bottle. Imagine how much waste that saves!

CTCarter

What I'd like to settle is whether it's better to have paper towels (speaking of waste) in restrooms or air dryers for hands.  I think we should make the switch from paper to air (and save lots of trees) but there's been resistance by those who say it's "proven" that the air from those dryers is unhealthy and unsanitary.  Anyone ever deal with that decision before?