Career FAQs - Green tips

We’re all putting unwanted paper in the recycling bin, but what can you do from behind your desk that will minimise the footprint your company leaves on the earth? Career FAQs has some tips.

Snooze you lose – Your computer doesn’t need to sleep, shut it down and turn it off when you leave the office.

There’s much debate about whether computers need to be switched off at the power point to save energy. We spoke to an energy efficiency expert, Paul Myors, who cleared things up. ‘In the case of a computer, simply powering down the computer addresses the energy issues. You get most of the gain by switching the computer itself off’, he said.

You’ve got mail – Encourage clients and co-workers to correspond by email. Only printing out the important ones mean the less tidy among us aren’t drowning in sheets of paper and the forests remain intact. If you do have to print out documents, print them double-sided or two or four to a page. .

Make the switch – Turn appliances off at the power point over the weekend or holiday periods.

Open up – Open your blinds and utilise natural light in windowed offices. .

Turn off – Don’t leave taps running. A dripping tap can waste 20 000 litres of water in a year.

Take a mug to Gloria’s – Ask your local café to fill your mug instead of using takeaway cups every day to deliver your caffeine hit on the job.

Spread the love – Ask around to see if anyone else is keen for a cuppa when making yourself tea or coffee in the office. Your colleagues will love you (and might repay the favour) plus you save energy by boiling a full jug of water at once, rather than a small amounts of water lots of times.

Get good ink – If every office in the country throws out their printer cartridge, Australia’s landfill is soon to be choc-a-block full with non-biodegradable materials that could potentially have been reused. Recycle your printer cartridges to stop adding to the trash pile.

Enjoy great buns – Not only does walking or cycling to work cut greenhouse gas emissions, not driving a car means you save on petrol, time sitting in traffic and you’ll have a trim, taut and terrific figure in no time. Just stay away from sticky buns at morning tea.

Background image: emanuel, holhos-vaida

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Feature articles How to get work experience with a magazine Office romance Office romance dos and don’ts Keeping the spark alive at work Tips for keeping the spark alive at work What women want Save the planet from your office Green tips	Green tips We’re all putting unwanted paper in the recycling bin, but what can you do from behind your desk that will minimise the footprint your company leaves on the earth? Career FAQs has some tips. Snooze you lose – Your computer doesn’t need to sleep, shut it down and turn it off when you leave the office. There’s much debate about whether computers need to be switched off at the power point to save energy. We spoke to an energy efficiency expert, Paul Myors, who cleared things up. ‘In the case of a computer, simply powering down the computer addresses the energy issues. You get most of the gain by switching the computer itself off’, he said. You’ve got mail – Encourage clients and co-workers to correspond by email. Only printing out the important ones mean the less tidy among us aren’t drowning in sheets of paper and the forests remain intact. If you do have to print out documents, print them double-sided or two or four to a page. . Make the switch – Turn appliances off at the power point over the weekend or holiday periods. Open up – Open your blinds and utilise natural light in windowed offices. . Turn off – Don’t leave taps running. A dripping tap can waste 20 000 litres of water in a year. Take a mug to Gloria’s – Ask your local café to fill your mug instead of using takeaway cups every day to deliver your caffeine hit on the job. Spread the love – Ask around to see if anyone else is keen for a cuppa when making yourself tea or coffee in the office. Your colleagues will love you (and might repay the favour) plus you save energy by boiling a full jug of water at once, rather than a small amounts of water lots of times. Get good ink – If every office in the country throws out their printer cartridge, Australia’s landfill is soon to be choc-a-block full with non-biodegradable materials that could potentially have been reused. Recycle your printer cartridges to stop adding to the trash pile. Enjoy great buns – Not only does walking or cycling to work cut greenhouse gas emissions, not driving a car means you save on petrol, time sitting in traffic and you’ll have a trim, taut and terrific figure in no time. Just stay away from sticky buns at morning tea. Background image: emanuel, holhos-vaida

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