Greening Your Office

1 Why Go Green at the Office? 1 1. What Is a Green Office? 1 2. Why Should Your Office Go Green? 2 3. What Are the Benefits? 3 2 People, Planet, Profit: Balancing the Triple-Bottom-Line 5 1. People 6 2. Planet 8 3. Profit 8 3 Common Barriers to a Green Office 11 1. Barrier 1: Time 12 2. Barrier 2: Authority 14 3. Barrier 3: Cash 16 4. Barrier 4: Knowledge 17 5. Final Word on Barriers 18 4 What Are the Benefits of a Green Office? 19 1. Running a More Cost-Effective Office 19 2. Boosting Employee Morale 21 3. Brand Loyalty and Marketability 22 4. Reducing Risk in a Changing World 22 5. Being a Leader in Office Sustainability 23 5 How to Get Started 25 1. The Four Phases of a Successful Green Office Program 25 6 How to Assess Your Office's Environmental Performance 29 7 Engaging Your Team 35 1. Seven Steps for Green Leadership and Transformation 35 2. Inspiration 37 3. Communicating Changes in Corporate Culture 37 4. Form a Green Team 39 5. Education and Awareness 40 iv Greening Your Office 8 Becoming a Green Office 43 1. Paper and Printing 43 2. Office Products 47 3. Green Cleaning Products 50 4. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Indoor Air Quality 58 5. Catering and Food Products 59 6. Mail and Courier 64 7. Waste Management 66 8. Transportation 70 9. Water 76 10. Electronics 79 11. Lighting 87 12. Windows 92 13. Heating and Cooling 94 14. Furniture 98 15. Renovations 100 9 Making Your Office Carbon Neutral 105 1. Measuring Your Carbon Footprint 105 2. Carbon Credits 109 10 Marketing 111 1. Ways to Promote Your Achievements 112 2. Greenwashing 113 3. Greenhushing 114 Conclusion 117 Download Kit 119 Checklists 1 Green Office Assessment 31 2 Assess Your Cleaning Products 57 3 Eight Questions to Ask Your Catering Company 63 4 Waste Audit 69 5 Questions to Ask Your Recycling Provider 70 6 Energy Audit 80 Tables 1 Top Ten Green Office Cost Savers 20 2 Green Labels 51 3 Green Alternatives to Mail 65 4 Waste Reduction 66 5 Inkjet versus Laser Printers 84 6 Lighting Audit 88 7 Lighting Types 91