Table Of ContentHelp change your office
for the better With the compliments of
Green Offices
Helpful hints on becoming Be green at work
environmentally friendly Improve your
in the office working
environment
More and more people are considering the
Save money and
environment at home, but research shows
enhance profits
that people struggle to take green values
with them when they head to the office. This Influence people
guide is designed to empower you with the into making a
knowledge and ideas you need to make your difference
office a greener, better place.
Make your office
Avery Limited Edition
work for you and
the environment
Explanations in plain
English
‘Get in, get out’ Find listings of all our books
information
Choose from many
Icons and other different subject categories
navigational aids Browse our free articles
A dash of humour and fun
ISBN: 978-0-470-74574-8
Not for resale www.greenofficeweek.eu
(cid:38)(cid:68)(cid:80)(cid:39)(cid:83)(cid:74)(cid:70)(cid:79)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:90) (cid:38)(cid:68)(cid:80)(cid:39)(cid:83)(cid:74)(cid:70)(cid:79)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:90)
(cid:40)(cid:69)(cid:76)(cid:80)(cid:223)(cid:85)(cid:83)(cid:223)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:65)(cid:78)(cid:84)(cid:223) Taking steps towards a better environment
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(cid:223)(cid:78)(cid:69)(cid:87)(cid:223)(cid:84)(cid:82)(cid:69)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:1) (cid:33)(cid:84)(cid:0)(cid:33)(cid:86)(cid:69)(cid:82)(cid:89)(cid:12)(cid:0)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:66)(cid:69)(cid:76)(cid:73)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:65)(cid:67)(cid:72)(cid:73)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:0)(cid:83)(cid:85)(cid:83)(cid:84)(cid:65)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:65)(cid:66)(cid:76)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:66)(cid:85)(cid:83)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:83)(cid:0)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:0)
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01_746141-ffirs.qxp 1/12/09 3:06 PM Page i
Green Offices
FOR
DUMmIES‰
By Avery
A John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, Publication
01_746141-ffirs.qxp 1/12/09 3:06 PM Page ii
Green Offices For Dummies®
Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
The Atrium
Southern Gate
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 8SQ
England
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Visit our Home Page on www.wiley.com
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appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
ISBN: 978-0-470-74614-1
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Page Bros, Norwich
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Authors: Nicky Amos CSR Services and Footprint Communications.
02_746141-intro.qxp 1/12/09 3:05 PM Page 1
Introduction
W
elcome to Green Offices For Dummies, your
smart and friendly guide to doing your bit for
the environment and improving the way you work in
the process.
Today, most people feel that considering the environ-
ment is important. At home, many people are taking
positive steps towards being green. And yet, when
people go to work, they leave all this on the doorstep!
Why? Office workers don’t feel they have the power,
equipment or knowledge to become green at work.
This guide aims to change all that.
The tips and advice in this book aren’t only about help-
ing to protect the environment; they’ll also help to
improve your workplace and increase your profits.
With the right knowledge and equipment, you’ll see
that working for the environment also means working
for your business. Running a business has to be prof-
itable, but it no longer has to cost the earth!
About This Book
This book aims to provide you with information to
change the way you work. It’s full of useful ideas to
empower you to play your part in ‘greening’ your
office. This guide can help you to influence those
around you and inform colleagues of ways they can
join you in creating a better workplace and a better
environment.
02_746141-intro.qxp 1/12/09 3:05 PM Page 2
2
Foolish Assumptions
In writing this book, we made some assumptions
about you:
(cid:1)You work in an office.
(cid:1)You want to make your office greener, work
smarter and save money.
(cid:1)You know that being green is important but want
some information on how exactly to be green in
your office.
How This Book is Organised
Green Offices For Dummiesis divided into three small
but perfectly-formed parts:
(cid:1)Part I: Giving Your Office the Green Light.Head
here for a quick introduction about why compa-
nies decide to go green and some staggering stats
that encourage them to do so.
(cid:1)Part II: Going Green in Your Office.Get your
hands dirty in this part as you discover all the
practical steps you can take to become more envi-
ronmentally friendly.
(cid:1)Part III: Ten Inspiring Quotations.We round off
the book with ten quotes to encourage and inspire
you.
Icons Used in This Book
We highlight crucial text for you with the following icons:
02_746141-intro.qxp 1/12/09 3:05 PM Page 3
3
The Dummies man indicates real-life examples
to illustrate a point and inspire you.
The knotted string highlights important infor-
mation to bear in mind.
Home in on the target for tips to enable you to
be green in your office.
Where to Go from Here
As with all For Dummiesbooks, you can either read this
guide from cover to cover or flick straight to the sec-
tion that interests you. Whether you read it in small
doses using the section headings or in one long ses-
sion, you’ll find plenty of information to get you on
your way to becoming green in your office.
03_745748-ch01.qxp 1/12/09 12:27 PM Page 5
Part I
Giving Your Office
the Green Light
In This Part
(cid:1) Defining the problem
(cid:1) Chewing over the statistics
T
he great news is that the majority of large companies
in the UK are taking steps to manage their environ-
mental and social responsibilities. Over 80% of the UK’s
top companies now report their social and environmen-
tal impact as part of their annual report and accounts.
Even for companies that haven’t made a public commit-
ment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), many are
taking steps to become greener. Nevertheless, there’s
always more that can be done, especially when it comes
to empowering individual office workers. This book aims
to help you to join in with the environmental effort!
03_745748-ch01.qxp 1/12/09 12:27 PM Page 6
6
Considering Why Companies
Go Green
Typically, companies want to go green to:
(cid:2)Comply with environmental legislation.
(cid:2)Reduce overheads through better and more
efficient energy, waste and resource use.
(cid:2)Meet the expectations of employees, customers
and society.
(cid:2)Gain competitive advantage in the marketplace by
becoming more responsive to customer concerns
and improving their reputation.
(cid:2)Take measures to protect the sustainability of
their businesses in the longer-term.
Tropical Tuesday
A leading global business media company held a 100-day cam-
paign to cut energy usage after the facility manager discov-
ered that their offices used almost as much energy when the
building was empty as when it was occupied.
Each employee was encouraged to switch off equipment
when not in use – from their computer to their mobile phone
charger. A series of themed days encouraged energy saving
habits, such as Walk Down Wednesday, when all but a few
lifts were turned off, and Tropical Tuesday, when the air con-
ditioning was turned off. These efforts stripped 10% off the
company’s monthly energy bill of 32,000 and saved a total of
78,000 tonnes of carbon.
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Green housekeeping needs to form the corner-
stone of any company’s environmental agenda.
Yet many businesses fail to bring their approach
to life for office workers by not making environ-
mental responsibility a part of employee work-
place practices or company culture. Having a
ground-breaking green product or an impres-
sively worded vision for sustainability means
nothing if the majority of office workers see
little or no evidence of a commitment to the
environment in day-to-day practice.
The Word on the Street:
Listening to Office Workers
If you think that becoming more environmentally
friendly in the office would have a big impact on the
environment, you’re not alone. According to a YouGov
survey:
(cid:2)92% of office workers feel it’s important that UK
companies are environmentally responsible.
This figure reflects widespread recognition of the
need for companies to take direct responsibility
for the environment.
(cid:2)79% think that being environmentally-friendly at
work has a big impact on the environment.In
the office, workers can directly see the impact of
their housekeeping practices (or lack of them) on
the environment. Employees also regard a com-
pany’s culture as vital to instilling attitudes and
behaviours.
