Implementing an eco-friendly, or green lifestyle, is not limited to your home only. It is a concept you can easily introduce into your workplace, whether you work from home, or in a corporate office. Look at any of these ideas, which if implemented, can significantly reduce your environmental impact.

Replace the disposable cups in the break room with proper coffee mugs.

The company can either encourage everyone to bring their own mug, or it can purchase a bulk-lot for all employees. This reduces waste and results in a cost saving in the long term.

Adjust the temperature on the thermostat.

Leaving it one to two degrees warmer in the summer, and one to two degrees cooler in the winter. This can easily save 6 to 8 percent on energy costs.

Replace the fake plants with real plants.

Real plants might need a bit more maintenance, but they look better and increase oxygen in the workplace.

Discuss telecommuting with your superior.

Not everyone is suited to telecommuting, but for those who are it can be wonderfully productive. Saving the time and money of a long commute can boost morale, not to mention the reduced carbon footprint.

If your company has a catered lunchroom, see if they would be willing to source locally grown produce for all meals.

Not only would they be supporting the local community, but the meals will be more nutritious than packaged and processed meals.

Introduce an office concierge into the workplace.

Much like the old-fashioned errand-runner, the concierge can assist staff with their out-of-office tasks, reducing unnecessary trips throughout the day. They can take care of dry-cleaning, collecting lunch, making deliveries, even taking care of any mail.

Encourage a paperless environment.

Most documents and letters can be sent via email, without any need for printing, and cloud-based storage gives even small businesses easy access to bulk off-site storage for electronic records. For those documents that have to be printed, begin using recycled paper and water-based inks if possible.

Introduce reusable coffee filters, and shade-grown coffee.

The filters help reduce waste while shade-grown coffee encourages biodiversity.

Laptops are more energy efficient than desktop computers, using less electrify and generating less heat.

Replace desktop computers with laptops, except in departments that need the extra capacity of desktops.

Start using smart power strips, and turning off any equipment when not in use, particularly after hours.

This alone can save you up to 10 percent in energy costs per year.

Some of these ideas are easier to implement than others, so focus on those that do not require too much effort first, and slowly begin introducing the other ideas.

About Out of the Office Virtual Assistance:

At Out of the Office, we are committed to providing earth-friendly administration and offer ideas and ways to increase your productivity, decrease your workload, and work more efficiently. We nurture a successful business relationship, while continuing to grow as your business partner. We are focused on streamlining your administration, social media planning and execution, and offering creative solutions for your business success.

Image credit: iblushay | CC0 Public Domain