Making switches or changing habits at home isn’t the only way to reduce our impact on the environment, you could also start a Green Team and implement environmental initiatives in your workplace!

Here are some things you could do:

1. Install reminder stickers and/or posters to remind people to power off equipment, print double sided etc. Switch posters regularly so they don’t become wallpaper but re-use them every few months
2. Nurture a small biodiversity patch – you don’t need to plant wildflower seeds, let an area grow wild. Clover makes a good ground cover or replacement for grass. If you do plant wildflower seeds, make sure they are native species
3. Install timer plugs to power down printers or other equipment when not in use or overnight
4. Have clear waste segregation – get food waste and recycling bins if you don’t already have them and label them clearly
5. Invite someone in to give a talk on reducing waste or saving energy
6. Encourage people to bring reusable water bottles and coffee cups – ask if your local cafe will give a discount for bringing your own cup
7. Ban the purchase of any single use plastic products by the company 
8. Start a book swap shelf in the canteen or other shared staff area
9. Organise a clothes swap
10. Bring in any leftover treats from home to share so they don’t go to waste
11. Organise a digital clean up day where everyone has to delete old emails and files to reduce digital waste
12. It’s really important to communicate initiatives to staff so they know what is happening and why. And ask for feedback and ideas! If you have a newsletter you could share things like a no food waste recipe such as scrappy soup for lunches

What you can do will vary with each organisation but raising awareness and starting conversations are one of the key factors in fighting climate change so what you do in your workplace may inspire people to make bigger changes.

By Aisling Kett