Green workspaces have become very popular in various business sectors. A green workspace is one that is aware of the ecological impact human beings can have on the environment. Certain advocates of a green lifestyle have been stigmatised as fanatics; the lifestyle has also been stigmatised as too expensive and too difficult. It’s true that certain modifications you might want to make to conserve energy and resources can be slightly expensive or difficult. However, they’re not all that hard. There are small steps you can take in your workspace, as well as big ones you can take with the help of some renovation specialists. Here are some of the small steps you can take.
Recycling
Recycling is already incredibly popular in different states and across most of the country; however, it is not quite as ubiquitous as it could be. Often, failures when it comes to recycling are due to human laziness. If you only have one recycling bin and it’s on the other side of the office, your employees will probably just trash recyclables. You should treat recycling as a priority, which means putting recycling bins everywhere that there are trash bins. If you have as many recycling bins as trash bins, no one has an excuse for not putting things where they go. In the same vein, you have to make sure that they’re properly labelled for which items go where. That prevents mixing up the recyclables.
Lights and Windows
Lighting and windows are two areas where offices could be saving money for themselves as well as saving natural resources. Recycling doesn’t have much benefit for the business; it’s mostly just altruistic. Energy savings, on the other hand, can be quite beneficial as a business practice.
If you operate a large office or if your employees work long hours, you probably spend a lot of money keeping the office lit. If you can pull back your blinds or curtains to let in as much natural light as possible, you can turn off the artificial lights for at least part of the day. Each light probably only costs you a few cents per hour to run, but when you add that up over the number of lights and the number of hours, you could stand to save a lot of money.
If you don’t have an office conducive to natural lighting, you might need to get it renovated. Some of the best companies performing office fit outs in Melbourne can help you create a greener workspace.
Windows also play into the heating and cooling of your office. In Melbourne, you might have fewer options since the weather can get so warm, but there are many months out of the year that the weather outside is very nice. If you have windows that can open, you might be able to open them and avoid having to run your heating or cooling system. When you’re keeping your windows open, it’s good to have screens on your windows so you don’t let bugs in.
