May 20, 2009
Opinion
Texas By Nature:
Beyond recycling: Green offices
So the paperless office predicted by the Internet hasn't come to your shop yet? Are you already going in for the quality recycled paper and looking for more ways to be "greener" in the office? Don't despair. There are still several steps you can take to reduce your impact on the environment, whether you work at home or Megacorp.
Hosting a recycling bin for all those water bottles and soda cans is great, but you can make a bigger contribution by swearing off disposable bottles altogether. It takes a huge amount of energy and pollution to produce those disposable bottles in the first place. According to the Container Recycling Institute, the 144 billion new beverage containers made in 2005 used 53.5 million barrels of crude oil and produced roughly 4.8 million tons of greenhouse gases. Instead of individual serving bottles, pick up non-plastic reusable beverage containers and an easy water filtration system.
Next, let's address the glowing screen you face off with day after day. Did you know a computer running 24-7 can release as much as 1,500 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere each year? So be sure to use your screen saver and set your computer to go into sleep mode if it is inactive for more than a few minutes. And don't forget to shut it down at the end of the day. Even if your IT department requires they be kept running, you can still lend the Earth a hand by joining a distributed computer network such as climateprediction.net, which allows researchers to utilize your processor's power for help performing memory-intensive climate modeling.
Also, consider skipping unnecessary road and air travel. With the surge in digital options that have developed (virtual worlds, video conferencing, IP telephony, and Web conferencing) you can still meet face-to-face without burning up extra fossil fuels.
And, hey, if all else fails: Bring your own paper.
For more green living tips or information on the Conservancy's work in Texas, visit nature.org/texas.
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