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Small Offices Have A Big Environmental Impact

By Brandi Cummings  -  August 20, 2008

Technology is something of a double edged sword when it comes to making our lives better.  The advantages that it gives us, the efficiency that it allows us, and the myriad of other ways that it improves our lives can many times overshadow the negative effects that technology can also have.  For example, office equipment has a major negative impact on our environment.  In it’s production, use and disposal the technology that we use throughout the day will eat up tons of electricity, raw materials, and water, contribute to carbon dioxide emissions through it’s electricity consumption, and create contaminants in our landfills such as lead, cadmium, PCBs, lead oxide, barium, mercury, brominated flame-retardants, and other various acids.

The average American office is a major culprit when it comes to electronics waste.  Although many of us want to make the environmentally right choices when it comes to our office practices, we think it will be too hard or too expensive.  That is not the case at all.  In fact, many of the greener choices you can make for your office are less expensive, more efficient, and involve no cost to you at all.  Here are just a few ideas for your small office that will help bring a greener tomorrow.

  • Laptops are more energy efficient than desktop computers.  See if they are a viable option for your office when setting up your network.
  • Make sure to buy only ENERGY STAR certified office equipment.  If every home office product purchased in the U.S. this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, Americans would save $200 million in annual energy costs while preventing almost 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gases.
  • Buy all-in-one office equipment to decrease the number of individual pieces of equipment that need to be manufactured.  Or better yet…
  • Get rid of equipment all together.  Use a virtual fax and/or virtual PBX that will allow you to take advantage of existing phones, Internet connections, and computers.  No new fax machines, toner, paper, extra electricity or phones will be necessary with these kinds of services.
  • Donate and recycle.  When you do have to replace a piece of equipment make sure it doesn’t go straight to the landfill.  Most local charities will take your old office equipment and many will take it even if it doesn’t work.  Don’t forget your cell phones too.  A great way to recycle those is through organizations that will give the phones to others who can use them such as Cell Phones For Soldiers or Call To Protect, an organization that helps battered women.

Making environmentally friendly choices in your office does not have to be a huge burden on your pocketbook and it is not a hassle.  It is easy, inexpensive, and as a small office you can make a big impact.

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