It’s easy being green

Many of us reduce, reuse and recycle in our homes, however most of us have not considered applying the same principles to our workplace. Due to the state of our planet it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to get involved in sustainable development, especially when many consumers are actively seeking out organisations who act in an environmentally responsible manner. We have all heard the phrase ‘think globally, act locally’ and there is no better time than the present to adopt this mantra. Even the biggest cynic should still be able to see value in green through the sustainability it provides to a business as well as the monetary savings. By making environmentally conscious decisions about your business you can help the environment and save money.

Due to the mass of information and wide range of environmentally preferable products available, it has never been easier to make your office greener whilst improving your bottom line. Having a green office means developing sustainable business principles and putting them into action. There are many ways to ensure your office is greener, from simply purchasing recycled or reusable products to having an entirely paper free office. By choosing to take on green practices such as stocking your office with energy efficient equipment, businesses can cut costs.
Andrew Wuttke, Sunshine Coast Branch Manager of Corporate Express, agrees that implementing green practices in your office will help save money as well as the environment. Corporate Express provides business supplies to organisations throughout Australia.

“By watching what you use or reuse and not being wasteful, you’re automatically watching your expenses,” Andrew says. “By making environmentally conscious purchasing decisions and implementing environmentally friendly procedures in the workplace, you can benefit your bank account and the environment at the same time.”

There are many simple practices businesses can implement in their offices to become greener and reduce costs. By turning of equipment that is not being used and switching off computers at the end of the day businesses can reduce the energy they use by 75 per cent. Encouraging communication by email is also a great method of saving paper costs as well as trees. Offices should also print double sided copies whenever possible; imagine how much money and paper your business would save over the course of a year if you put this in practice. Andrew says if printing double sided isn’t an option there is another alternative.

“Don’t throw away those reams of paper you produce running single sided reports, reuse them as internal office pads for your staff and then put them in the recycle bin,” advises Andrew. “Return your empty toner cartridges; your supplier should have a program available.”

By refilling, reusing and recycling the materials you use, your business is reducing the amount of waste and pollution you create. Buying refillable pens and recycled paper for your printer and photocopier all help reduce your businesses costs and waste. A report developed by the Commonwealth of Australia states that every 100 reams of paper printed double sided saves 2 trees, over a tonne of greenhouse gas and almost a cubic meter of landfill space compared to 100 reams of paper that is not recycled or printed double sided.

Most businesses don’t realise that operating office equipment can end up costing them more than the original price of the equipment. By using energy efficient equipment, your electricity bill can be reduced by 80 per cent as well as cutting the cost of your air-conditioning bill by 20 to 30 per cent. By using energy efficient equipment or even turning off computers and photocopiers when they are not being used, the amount of heat generated in your office is reduced therefore reducing your need for air-conditioning.

Local accounting firm Complete Business Strategies have put green practices in their workplace by developing a paper free office policy. Chris Burns says there are many benefits to establishing a paperless office. “It’s cost effective, a more efficient usage of our resources, time and money,” Said Chris. “And it’s good for the environment!”

By having a paperless office staff are more effective and efficient and quality control is improved, reducing the amount of time spent redoing tasks. As well as being paper free, Complete Business Strategies have also implemented other green strategies in their office such as sectioned lighting that can be switched off depending on which part of the office us being used.

“Our air-conditioning system is automated and temperature controlled” Chris explains. “All computer workstations and screens are turned off at the end of the day.”

If the idea of incorporating green practices into your office sounds appealing but you don’t know where to start, Tim Hindley can point your business in the right direction. Tim is the managing director of Envo a consulting company who provides environmental sustainability strategies for businesses. Envo helps businesses maximise the eco efficiency and profitability of your workplace by reviewing current procedures and helping staff develop an environmental sustainability policy for their business.

Tim says organisations need to create an environmental sustainability policy that addresses resource management and builds upon itself, looking towards the future. Whilst developing the policy Tim advises business owners to involve staff as it ensures the policy covers all areas of the workplace, highlighting the opportunities for change in each existing process.

“Once you have an environmental sustainability policy businesses can advertise the fact, appealing to a wider customer base,” Tim said. “You are gaining a competitive advantage enabling green customers to choose your business.”

Another advantage of green business practices is in relation to the inevitable change in government legislation.  Having an organisation that is pre adapted will be highly beneficial as the environment surrounding your business changes. By having a company vision and involving all employees the new green policy will change the way you do business.

“Things don’t happen by chance, if you have a company policy or philosophy your organisation’s green practices will work more effectively,” Tim said.

Businesses can use simple steps to create and carry out green practices in their office. By creating a policy, deciding upon a target, determining who is responsible for the implementation and measuring the effectiveness of the new process the transition to green is easier and more effective.

By changing the businesses attitude and practices your business will experience a positive culture change and acquire a new philosophy. Developing and implementing green practices is a great opportunity for your business to be more successful and profitable whilst working towards a more sustainable future.

Regardless of your motivations, there are benefits of going green for even the Hummer driving high flying executive. For further information and guidance on how to make your business a greener place visit the Australian Governments environment website at www.environment.gov.au and download your copy of The Green Office Guide. To measure your businesses carbon footprint visit

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