Sustainability in the workplace is a growing area of emphasis for businesses around the world. While understanding that there is an ongoing need to focus on the bottom line, there are ways to do this that help create an ecosystem of sustainable business practices that make a real difference in the long term. If you do one good deed each the day, focusing on your impact on the planet, you will inevitably improve your mood, and make some small changes that can make a big difference for the Earth.
Here are several ideas for good deeds that you can bring into your daily life.
Watch Your Energy Use
Remembering to turn the lights off or unplugging your monitor when you’re not using it does actually make a difference when measured amongst the hours and hours of wasted energy the average office consumes. It’s easy to disconnect yourself from the impact of wasteful energy practices, particularly at the office where you may not be directly paying for the energy bill. But doing a good deed at the office is a great way to reduce wasteful energy consumption. If you notice areas of improvement in the office, like an opportunity to switch to more energy efficient lighting, for example, speak up. You may be the one who plants the seed for larger, more sustainable building management which can save your company thousands of dollars in the long term, and possibly our energy future in the super-long term.
Do Something Nice For Your Coworker
The simple act of doing something nice, or paying it forward at work can have significant repercussions. Kindness at work, whether you’re grabbing coffee for someone having a hard day, helping out a colleague to hit a deadline, or leaving the common area cleaner than you found it, can actually really make a difference in someone’s mood. With a more positive outlook, people are more likely to act in a manner that benefits the group at large, the community, even the planet. Don’t overlook the impact of simple acts of kindness.
Reuse and Recycle When You Can
Recycling really does make a difference in terms of the waste created by a business. But how do companies balance the need for security and their desire to become more environmentally sustainable? Shredded paper can be re-used as packing material, but that also exposes companies to significant risk. Commercial shredded paper may be accepted by recycling companies so long as it is completely free of plastic and metal and contained within clear plastic bags. However, this is not appropriate for highly confidential documents as sensitive information may still be reconstructed, which can result in privacy violations and possible legal action. Make sure you are working with a high-quality document management company who takes on the responsibility of recycling for you.
When we do one good deed at the office, it impacts our mood, it benefits our immediate environment and coworkers, but it also does something for the planet. Even if it seems like a small thing, do one good thing everyday and your efforts will build upon each other and maybe even encourage others to do the same.
