Paint your Office Green 2

As property brokers we spend hours every day advising business people on office rentals, location, and how a space could work best for them. And then it’s a matter of signing sales documents or leases and finally the business moves in. While that may seem like the end of the story from a property point of view, acquiring premises is only the start, albeit an important one, of a healthy and productive work space

An increasingly important aspect of the on-going management of a workspace is its “green” footprint. Large corporates have whole departments working on eco-friendly campaigns however the small to medium enterprise is often a bit at sea as to where to start.

This is where a new type of specialist, comes into the picture. These specialists advise, supply and manage the green aspects of an office. According to Mariella Kayat of Go 2 Natural, it’s fairly easy to create a better working environment. Best of all, it makes good business sense to save office resources like electricity, paper and water, as this reduces companies overheads and costs. By educating staff and creating awareness about environmental issues companies are finding that it builds a sense of self importance and pride amongst employees, thus increasing job satisfaction.

As a starting point for business, there are three key areas that can make an immediate difference.

Firstly consider the amount of energy and light the office generates, by optimizing energy settings for computers and other devices to their most saving settings. Turn off lights that are not used and use a sticker on the switch to remind all employees. Consider replacing light bulbs with more efficient energy saving LED or CFLs

Secondly, recycle office paper. Confidential papers could be shredded and placed in brightly coloured bins, provided by the company. Enquire about companies that provide weekly paper collections. Try to create a paperless environment by making full use of e-mails and office intranet. As alternatives, wherever possible, look at options like e-Marketing and Social Media, as alternatives. Ensure that printers are able to do double sided printing and dispose of ink cartridges, with companies that have the resources to recycle them.

Thirdly, monitor the usage of water in the office. Reduce the use of bottled water by using water coolants, water jugs and glasses. Ensure the kettle is used for the right amount of boiled water required. Minimize the use of an urn. Check all toilets and taps for leaks.

Companies adopting environmental and sustainable policies will be aligning themselves for increased business opportunities as a more educated and savvy clients will evaluate them on their environmental standpoint

For further advice and assistance, I advise approaching a specialist in this area such as

* Go 2 Natural - Mariella Kayat - 083 268 3884 - Mariella@go2natural.co.za
* Green Everything - Adrienne Brown - 082 774 2831
* Green Office - Carla Higgs - 083 395 0080

Happy Greening
Louise Gibson