Ultimate Guide: Creating a Sustainable Workplace
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
There are many ways you can create a more sustainable workplace, including how you get to work each day and what you bring with you. From changes like replacing the office supplies you use, to completely overhauling the work practices and procedures followed, this guide can help. Making even small, eco-friendly changes in your workplace can add up to big impacts!
As a former teacher, I constantly annoyed my students by reminding them not to be wasteful. From reusing paper to taping up broken pencils, students knew me as an eco-activist as I attempted to make my classroom more sustainable. There is certainly a lot of waste in schools. Our Education for Sustainable Development Committee was constantly brainstorming ways our school could be more sustainable.
Key Takeaways
- Creating a sustainable workplace starts before you even leave the house! What you bring with you matters.
- One of the biggest impacts on your work-life carbon footprint is how you commute to work.
- Your lunch food choices will make a difference – choose in season and local!
- Your personal workspace can be greener with some thoughtful sustainable supplies and personal touches.
- Green office practices such as waste management, energy efficiency initiatives, and water conservation efforts all go a long way to increasing the sustainability of the place you work.
- Greening your pension can have 21 times more impact in reducing your carbon footprint than giving up flying, going vegetarian, and switching to a renewable energy provider combined!
- Studies show that many new workers won’t accept a job if the company did not have a strong corporate sustainability program or social responsibility.
- There are many benefits to creating sustainable workplace, from more productive employees to cost savings!
Jump ahead for tips in specific areas:
Setting Up Your Environmentally Conscious Workspace
Promote Your Sustainability Ideas
Advantages of a Sustainable Workplace
Recent Posts – Sustainable Workplace & School
Leaving the House
Sustainability starts at home. No matter where you work, the clothing you choose to wear makes an impact. From buying second-hand to researching sustainable brands, there are many ways to ensure your work wardrobe is sustainable.
Your Commute
How we get to work might matter most when it comes to sustainability. Work remotely from home or perhaps you’re in the digital nomad club? Awesome! Read the Ultimate Guide: Sustainable Home for tips to make your home office more sustainable, or try switching to an eco-friendly search engine.
For everyone else – people-powered commutes are optimal. Walking, cycling or anything that involves your own body for propulsion eliminates carbon emissions and has added health benefits.
But what if you live too far away from work, or the weather or time doesn’t always allow for this? If public transportation in your city doesn’t solve those issues, consider carpooling with some colleagues.
Paying for public transport helps the local economy, and carpooling with colleagues helps create positive coworker relationships. This can lead to more enjoyment and efficiency at work. Win-win-win!
You’ve Gotta Eat
It may be really tempting to stop for the to-go coffee and breakfast sandwich on the way to work. Most take-out food comes in packaging that can’t be recycled. It also usually comes with all the extras like plastic cutlery, condiment pouches, paper napkins, and styrofoam. Set your alarm a few minutes earlier to have your breakfast at home.
And then comes the lunch conundrum. As a teacher, I hated spending the rare lunch hours I got seeking out something to eat. My time was far more relaxing when I knew I had something pre-made waiting for me in the staffroom. The bonus was that I also enjoyed eating while mingling with my colleagues.
Set that alarm just a little bit earlier, and make sure to pack your lunch in an eco-friendly lunchbox with reusable containers. Sustainable dining is easy!
Don’t forget to pack your laptop, sustainable office supplies, and other necessities in your work tote. Prefer a backpack? Check out the best environmentally friendly backpacks in this article.
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Setting Up Your Sustainable Workspace
What kinds of tools do you use for work? The “typical” office supplies like pens, staplers, tape and notebooks? Perhaps it’s power tools and high-tech gadgets. No matter your implements, I bet there are brands leading in the sustainability race out there. Do some digging – hopefully with a sustainably-made shovel!
Set Up Your Space
If we’re talking office supplies, check out our article “Earth-Friendly School Supplies – Sustainability in the Classroom” – all of the items recommended there would make great eco-friendly office supplies! Do you have furniture in your workspace? I love finding unique vintage pieces at the thrift store to give my office space a funky, eclectic look. This makes me feel less like I’m in an office….working. Not in charge of buying your office equipment or furniture? Research some sustainable companies to prepare yourself and then pitch the switch to sustainable office furniture to whoever is.
Personal Touches
Here are some other ways to create a more sustainable workspace. Add plants and improve air quality. According to the folks at healthline.com, office plants can reduce stress, sharpen your attention, and increase productivity, among several other benefits.
Take advantage of natural light if you can. Not relying on energy to light our workspace is far more sustainable, and sunshine is sure to create some positive vibes! Post some pictures. Looking at things we enjoy or people we love can make our work environment more pleasant.
Waste reduction in offices and workplaces
I struggled a lot with how much goes to waste in a school setting. From lunch bags stuffed with highly-packaged foods to food waste, it is an environment lover’s nightmare. We must remind ourselves that even small actions taken by many people make a difference.
Start With You
Embrace the “reach out” of the 10 Rs of sustainability and lead by example with your own eco-friendly practices. Encourage other employees to make the switch to some environmental practices as well. You could even bring lunch for that coworker who runs out to grab something in a rush. This might show them how much nicer it is to relax during their hard-earned lunch hour.
I used to offer to take care of the dishes after staff meals to avoid the negative impacts of plastic bottles, throw-away plates, and cutlery. Everyone feels strongly about a cause; if sustainability is yours, share your passion! You might even find like-minded colleagues to start a Sustainable Workplace Committee with.
Workplace Practices
Think of all the little things that add up to make a big difference. Work somewhere that uses a lot of paper? Investigate if you can start using paper made from recycled materials. See if there is a way you can switch to green cleaning products to avoid introducing chemicals to the water system. Do some creative thinking as a staff about how you could implement a compost program. Suggest that motion sensors be installed for automatic lights rather than keeping unused lights on all day.
Mental Health Matters
Those personal touches in your office may not be enough to get you through the tough days at work. Most of our jobs take a sizeable mental toll on us, which can lead to many issues in the workplace. Remember, it’s not only about environmental sustainability. There is a social aspect too. Happy and healthy workers treated fairly tend to be more efficient and productive!
If your employers are already on the workplace wellness and sustainability train, great! Don’t let that stop you from trying some of these tips aimed at those of us who might work in a less progressive office environment.
- Move often. If your job requires you to be sedentary for long periods, set the alarm on your phone every hour to stand up and stretch a little.
- Take your legally required breaks. Please resist the urge to work through it. In the long run, your productivity will decrease from a lack of breaks from work.
- Get outside, or get some sunshine or fresh air through a window. Sunshine and oxygen increase serotonin, which helps us feel calm and focused.
- Join, or start, a social committee at your workplace. Eco-friendly team building activities with fellow employees outside the working environment fosters positive relationships that benefit everyone.
Work somewhere that doesn’t consider employee wellness? Find out why. More often than not, the reason is that it is seen as something that will take time away from production and efficiency. It could be that it wasn’t even something that crossed your busy employer’s mind.
Check out the advantages of a sustainable workplace below and make a pitch to your employers about it.
Eco-Friendly Investments
Greening Your Pension
According to a study by Make My Money Matter, Aviva, and Route2, “The simple act of greening your pension can have 21 times more impact in reducing your carbon footprint than giving up flying, going vegetarian, and switching to a renewable energy provider combined.”
Do you know where your employer invests your pension? Me neither! I clued into this by researching how to be more sustainable at the workplace. I assume that most of us don’t know this information. Many pension funds sell their holdings in unsustainable areas such as fossil fuels. I know that I would be upset if I found out that was how my hard-earned money was being invested.
The good news is most pension funds offer some choice about where our money is invested. The first step is to find out your options. Not sure where to start or which pension fund is handling your pension? Try using the email templates by Make My Money Matter to contact your employer or pension fund to get more information and get the ball rolling.
Promote Your Sustainable Workplace Ideas
There are many reasons your workplace isn’t as sustainable as it could be. I bet one of them is simply that no one has come forward with eco-friendly workplace initiatives. Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts about implementing more sustainable business practices! Find out who you should be talking to about your ideas, prepare some convincing reasons, and give it your best shot. You never know, it may lead to some big changes and employee sustainability training down the line!
Environmental Initiatives
Want your office to go paperless or switch to eco-friendly toilet paper? Gather some data about how many trees could be saved and be ready to present alternatives. Would virtual conferences reduce business travel and help your workplace be more sustainable? Do some research to back your claims. Ask your employer about some of the vendors and suppliers you have contracts with, and find out if they have eco-conscious business policies of their own. Consider pitching to switch providers or change your own company practices and policies to reflect a more sustainable office.
Life Cycle Thinking
Do some digging about the economic benefits of green buildings to convince whoever is in charge of maintenance, updates and energy providers at work. Switching to renewable energy in office buildings increases efficiency and lessens your negative environmental impact. With global warming at the forefront of people’s minds, workplaces need to be held accountable for reducing energy consumption.
Encourage your employer to explore work-from-home options. This would undoubtedly reduce commuting emissions and the need for a larger office. Perhaps your workplace could offer green commuting options for employees such as providing bus passes or organizing carpools. Does your workplace have a cafeteria? Where and how is the food purchased? Perhaps some changes can be made here to promote a more sustainable workplace. Suggest that your company or staff gets involved in giving back to the community somehow.
I know you have some great ideas about how your workplace can incorporate sustainable practices on a holistic level – don’t be afraid to share!
Advantages of a Sustainable Workplace
If you’re here, reading this article, you likely already think a sustainable work environment is worthwhile. Present some facts to motivate your employer, employees, or colleagues to jump on board.
Companies with strong corporate social responsibility and that contribute to social and environmental issues have an easier time acquiring employees. Social sustainability in the workplace promotes and creates collaboration and happy employees, and as outlined above, happy employees are productive employees! There are also cost benefits when sustainable practices are introduced in the workplace.
Read our article “Why is Sustainability Important in the Workplace” for more detailed benefits of sustainable workplace practices!
Conclusion
So there you have it. You can take some small actions to ensure your personal workspace is successfully sustainable. Or you may go on a crusade to reduce the carbon footprint of your entire workplace. Either way, your efforts make a difference, and that’s what matters.
As the saying goes, every journey must start with one single step – this also applies to our journey to a sustainable workplace!
