Are your colleagues using wayyy to many papers? Are they printing memos unnecessarily? Is everybody is the office wasting too much water or electricity? The question is, how do you help green your office?

Image credit: Don and Cheryl

• Try not to print. Try to minimize the number of documents that you print on paper.
• If you HAD to print, recycle papers by preparing a repository (a box would do) for papers with one side printed on and encourage your colleagues to use the other side for non essential printing.
• Switch computers and electronic devices off when you leave the office and whenever they are not in use.
• Install auto-shut-off taps in the rest rooms.
• Install air driers in the rest rooms instead of providing paper towels that are trashed after use.
• Buy and use an energy-saving microwave.
• Efficient lighting. Minimize the use of electric lighting by utilizing natural light where possible. Replace all of your incandescent lights with energy-efficient LED or fluorescent lighting.
• Bike to work. Or develop a system that promotes biking to work.
• Use refurbished office equipment.

Use natural cleaning products in the office. Regular household products have too much negative consequences. For example, when your mouse gets dirty and picks up dust, how do you clean it? With vinegar, I read!

• Simply mix half vinegar and half water and use that.
• Remove the ball and wipe clean with the solution.
• Dry thoroughly with a soft, lint-free towel.
• Dip a cotton swab into the solution, squeeze until nearly dry and wipe the inside the mouse, removing dust or dirt particles.
• Use a wrung out cloth to wash the outside of the mouse.

To clean your keyboard:

• Dip a cloth into a mixture of ½ vinegar and ½ water and wring out.
• Wash down the outside of your computer, printer and other pieces of equipment.
• Never use a spray bottle for this job. Use a nearly dry cotton swab dipped in the mixture to clean the keyboard.

In fact, vinegar performs so much magic that it can be used to clean stationery as well!

• Clean scissors
  Wipe the blades of your scissors down frequently with a cloth dipped in full strength vinegar to keep them clean and glue free.
• Thin glue
  Add a drop or two of vinegar to the old bottle of glue and shake. Keeping adding vinegar drop by drop until the glue returns to the proper consistency.

How do you green your office?