Work Green

By Melinda Toussaint

It’s not always easy finding a green job but that doesn’t mean you can afford to wait to work green. Whatever job you have whether it is retail, office work, or manufacturing, there’s many ways you can green your job. Here are five ways:

1. Coffee: Use your own mug! According to True Green by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin, 1.9 million tons of paper and plastic cups/plates are thrown away in the U.S. each year. By using your own mug you can help eliminate that. Also, talk to your manager about switching your coffee to Fair Trade-labeled brands to support the farmers invested in your coffee.

2. Paper: I’m sure you’ve heard it before but use BOTH sides of the paper before you recycle it. Especially working in an office that creates a lot of unnecessary paperwork. Paper is 70 percent of the office’s waste; help cut that in half but putting old papers right back into your printer. You’ll be surprised how much paper you’ll go through.

3. Let your computer sleep: Electronics such as computers, TVs, and cell phones use the bulk of their energy when not in use but still on. Turn off your computer at close of the night and during the day. While you’re on break, in meetings, or generally not using it and you could reduce the power consumption by five percent.

4. Buy a plant: Buy a plant for your desk or office and it will benefit you in the long run. Plants act as natural air filters, absorbing airborne pollutants and computer radiation. Plants will help protect you from germs of your colleagues as well. They will help you not get sick but also help to reduce your stress level.

5. Green Machines: If your just starting out or in need of new machines at your work choose Energy-Star compliant machines for your printers, fax and copy machines. Machines that can power down when not in use can cut energy wasted in a huge way. By having the machines produce less heat you’ll help reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent, and your machines will work better too.

Many companies are already on the right green track, including:

1. General Electric- they have committed to innovative solutions for their environmental challenges through “Ecomagination” to help meet customers' demands for cleaner products.

2. Marriott- they run 2,800 hotels in 68 countries, 151,000 employees, and revenue of $10.4 billion. But in 2006, it was names a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency climate leader for their pledge to reduce greenhouse gases by 6 percent per guest room by 2010.

3. Google- the world’s largest search engine has committed to solar energy production, launching the largest solar panel installation to date on a corporate campus in the U.S. They are also hoping to boost plug-in hybrid car technology through RechargeIT- an initiative that aims to reduce carbon emissions and cut oil use, amongst many other green projects.

Take these companies examples and try little green steps at work on a daily basis. After a while you’ll be able to notice your impact and could branch out on a larger scale. Good luck greener your work, and remember the biggest part of it is to influence those around your to green their efforts too!