LCI Blog: Green Your Office

Tarah Beaven, Account Executive at Landis Communications, Inc
We at Landis are of the green variety. That is, we are always trailblazing green and sustainable practices for our clients – but it all starts by scrutinizing our own green habits at the office. Therefore I can’t help but wonder: can saving the planet really start with reusable post-it-notes? Well, maybe not, but it certainly seems like a good place to start.
LCI takes a no-nonsense approach to being green – it’s economical, good for the environment and darn-it, we like to do it! Landisians have been known to holler at building management to ensure the correct compostable trash liners are being used in the green bin. The sheer volume of paper towels and soiled food containers (ahem, coffee grounds and tea bags) that are tossed out in the lunchroom every day is mind-boggling. Composting is an easy way to reduce landfill contribution and to rid the kitchen of unsightly and probably smelly rotten refrigerator food. Certainly it happens at your office, too!
If you’re looking to add a little whimsy to greening your office, there are countless novel products available that offer both functionality and sustainability. Designers Made By Humans create green office products such as staple free staplers and corn calculators. At first these items may seem trivial, but they are very smart in design and every little bit helps. Besides, who doesn’t love a good post-it-note made from limestone paper?
Here are a few more tips from LCI for keeping your office green:

• Buy recycled products: You’re only half recycling if you only recycle your paper products but don’t purchase products made from recycled materials.
• Power-down: Turn your computer off every evening to save energy and of course turn off lights in spaces that are unoccupied.  It’s both energy efficient and saves money.
• Stock the kitchen with glassware: Stop wasting money on paper products for lunches or hosting guests. Instead, invest in glassware to reuse again, and again.
• Print double-sided: Forego printing on one side, it’s wasteful. Period.  The greenist paper is no paper, so spare what you can.   
• Get involved: Discuss and share best green practices with your colleagues so everyone is doing their part.

What office-greening practices are you implementing?
Let’s connect, email me at [email protected].