Energy and Climate change

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Reduce your footprint at work

Regardless of the field of activity or the size of the business where you work, the workplace emits greenhouse gases through its heating, air-conditioning, the transportation of its employees and merchandise or the use of computer material. There are ways to reduce these emissions and have less of an impact on the climate.

Whether its for first steps or major actions, you can encourage your work team and management to take part in the adventure!

Why reduce your emissions at work?

Today, in our market economy, the growth of businesses is large and fast, and the pollution caused by their activities keeps increasing. Of course, you can't be held responsible for emissions emitted by your employer, but you can contribute to their reduction.

In an office, we depend on nature each day without noticing it: printing paper from the forest or using electricity from bodies of water.

On an individual scale, our work impact on nature can seem minimal, but multiplied by the number of workplaces on the planet, the impact broadens in scope.

You will find several activities and actions to set up in your workplace to reduce its ecological footprint. Don't forget - the best way to succeed is by rallying as many people as possible to your ideas and initiatives! When many people get involved, new ideas sprout and major progress is achieved.

Beginning

You can start by creating a Green Team: it will be in charge of setting up and following-up activities. It is often supported by management and made up of members representing all the functions in the company and having complementary skills. This team should set the expected objectives and results and develop communications around company initiatives (through e-mails, company bulletin boards, posters…). Ideally, this team should meet at least once a month to ensure the follow-up of its activities.

 

If the idea of implementing a Green Team scares you or maybe isn't adapted to the size of your company, you can simply start by gathering your colleagues and presenting your ideas in order to see if they are ready to collaborate with you.

Waste Reduction

Office furniture

• Favour used furniture for your offices. Use furniture made of natural materials like wood (that can be easily recyclable) and not plastic. Buy quality products that you won't have to change regularly.

Paper and waste

• Use less paper! Don't print documents unless it's necessary and print on both sides of the paper.
• Use printed sheets as scrap paper instead of note pads.
• Choose 100% certified CF (Chlorine-free paper: no chlorine used to whiten paper during its fabrication) and FSC paper (Forest Stewardship Council, which ensures responsible management of the forest and the human communities that depend on it).

• During meetings use your computers to project information instead of printing documents. You can also send electronic copies.
• Sign all your e-mails with the mention "Think of the planet before printing this e-mail" or "Think about Mother Earth before printing this e-mail".
Buy refillable ink cartridges (toner type) .
• Use cloth towels for drying hands instead of paper and use 100% recycled toilet paper.
• If a person or company is in charge of emptying your waste baskets everyday, make sure they don't empty each person's baskets into individual bags.

The Cascades brand offers high-quality products that respect the environment. They are often certified Eco-Logo, CF, FSC, made with bio-gas energy and are also Canadian!

Equipment

• Buy refillable pens and highlighters made of recyclable or recycled vegetable matter.
• If you wish to change your computers, first of all clean your system and reinitialize the programs; afterwards they might possibly work as good as new.
• When you throw out your electronic materials, think of organizations like schools, associations or any other mutual help organizations. If they are not recycled, you can bring them to where they were bought or contact your municipality to find out if there are electronic waste collection services for companies.

At lunch hour

• During lunch: Use lunch boxes and thermoses instead of paper bags and disposable containers.
• Try to obtain reusable utensils and dishes in the kitchen.

Reducing energy consumption

Electronic appliances

• Activate the energy-saver functions on your computers and electronic appliances.
• Reduce your phantom energy use: Don't leave electronic appliances plugged in if you're not using them. Use power bars with switches and turn them on and off when necessary.
• Turn off your appliances when you leave the office: computers, printers, fax, coffee machines, ... etc
• Choose energy-efficient EnergyStar appliances, they use less energy.

Lighting

• Replace your incandescent light bulbs with fluoro-compact bulbs and your T12 fluorescent tubes with T5 or T8, you can save up to 40% of the electricity and also air-conditioning costs in summer, these lamps emit less heat.
• Turn off the lights at the end of each day and when you leave your office for a meeting or for lunch.

Temperature

• Install an electronic thermostat so you can control the temperature in summer and winter.
• In winter: Keep outside doors well closed and prevent drafts. In summer, lower the blinds and curtains in order to reduce heat.
• Regularly maintain your heating and air-conditioning appliances. Well-maintained appliances can help you save from 10 to 30% on your hydro bill.

If you move your offices

• Choose an office space where the layout allows you to save energy. A smaller, well-fitted office can save you money in heating, air-conditioning and lighting. Also think of installing renewable-energy components like solar panels. In certain cases, you can produce more than you consume and thereby resell your energy.

Getting to work

• Get to work by bike, on foot, or with public transport when possible. Ask your senior management to install bike racks and also showers at the workplace.

• Think of car-pooling. You can gather all the employees with a map and point out all the residences of your colleagues. You can even alternate with different people's cars.

• Use the videoconference system to reduce GG emissions caused by business trips. When you can't use videoconference services, use the train or bus instead of the plane during your business trips.
• If you must take your car to work, practice eco-driving. You will find tips on our page «Reduce your footprint when travelling» or on the Ecodrive website
• Ask your employer to reimburse part of your public transport costs, this will favour their use.
• You can also use bicycle messenger service, some of them work year-round. Visit Veli Coursier (website in french only), a bicycle-only messenger service site, even in winter!

If you move your offices

Think of relocating your offices in a zone with easy access to public transport and/or close to the employees' residences.

Create a healthy work environment

We are constantly exposed to chemical and toxic products in our daily lives, this is also true for our workplace. With the paint, furniture and poor air-circulation of offices, our system reacts by triggering various allergies or illnesses. You can change this!

• Use commercial cleaning products that don't contain an endless list of unpronounceable ingredients. Lemieux (website in french only), a supplier, offers ecological products, 100% made in Quebec, in bulk (you reduce the company's waste) and biodegradable. If an employee wants to get involved, it is possible to make cleaning products with of vinegar, baking soda, you will find a large number of recipes and tips on the Internet.

• Buy air-filtering plants for your office: bamboo, arec palm, aloe vera or even the common vine.

• Maintain your air-conditioning, heating and ventilation systems and ensure that the filters are changed regularly.

• When you renovate or redecorate, use paints and furniture without volatile organic components. Look for GreenGuard accreditation.

Don't waste water

• Ban water bottles and coolers. Tap water is clean enough for consumption. And if you don't like the taste there are two alternatives: the filtering carafes or filters installed directly on the tap. Some water bottles contain contaminants and other chemical products that end up in the water. By stopping the consumption of bottled water, you also reduce the company's waste.
• Think of maintaining faucets (fixing leaks, replacing worn joints).
• You can suggest the setting up of a rain-water recovery system for toilet supply.
• Ask for double-flush toilets or those with smaller flush tanks - 6 litres instead of 18 litres per cycle. If this isn't possible, adopt "system D" by placing a filled water bottle in your toilet tank; thereby you reduce the water consumed in each cycle.

Keep in mind that the less water used, the less water wasted; therefore less water to be treated.

To go further

If you have the required budget, you can have a specialized organization do an inventory of your greenhouse gas emissions. It will reveal where your company consumes the most energy and accompany you in taking energy-reduction steps. This evaluation represents a starting point that will give you a yardstick for future comparison when other reduction activities are set up.

Sources | References