Climate protection at work is easy. With these astonishing facts and simple measures, you can improve your company's carbon footprint – and take the first steps toward a Green Office.
Bringing climate protection from home to work
We separate our waste, cook vegetarian meals, and heat efficiently: at home, we do our best for the climate. And at work? After all, we spend around 200 days a year here, almost two-thirds of our time – throughout an entire working life.
Our daily work life therefore has a major impact on the climate. If we act in a more climate-conscious way at the office, an average of 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per employee per year can be saved. Reason enough to change our habits and turn our workplace into a Green Office.
But what does "Green Office" actually mean?
Green Office is the definition of a sustainable workplace that promotes climate-friendly and socially responsible development. A "Green Office" therefore means much more than just using renewable energy or sustainable building materials. The goal is to improve work culture, increase productivity, and reduce work-related illnesses. And as is always the case when it comes to climate protection, it is people who can bring about this change. A Green Office therefore needs employees who shape their habits in a more sustainable and climate-conscious way.
5 simple measures on your way to a Green Office
This is best done where the workforce consumes the most resources. In German companies, these are the areas of mobility, energy, waste, and nutrition. They are the biggest levers when it comes to reducing a company's carbon footprint and gradually transforming it into a Green Office.
Because change is difficult for us humans and often takes a lot of time, we want to make your start toward a Green Office as easy as possible. We have put together five measures for you that you can implement right away. So no more lazy excuses – let's get started.
1. Commuting in a different way.
Road traffic is responsible for an ever-increasing share of CO2 emissions. While its share in the EU was 17% in 1990, it had already risen to 29% by 2020. The choice of means of transport is essential. A car with a combustion engine consumes 1.93 kg of CO2 equivalent per 10 kilometres, while the metro by comparison consumes only 0.025 CO2e. By rethinking our commuting habits, we can make a big difference.
Do you drive to work every day? Start by introducing one car-free day a week and switch to a bicycle or public transport. If that's not possible, form a carpool. On average, only 1.5 people travel in a car. Every carpool therefore reduces fuel consumption.
By the way: there is also a mileage allowance for cycling. For business trips on a private bicycle or e-bike, between 30 and 38 cents per kilometre can be claimed or deducted for tax purposes in Germany and Austria.
2. Every little bit helps.
How you can achieve a lot with little is shown when it comes to energy. Electrical devices such as monitors or laptops have a considerable energy consumption. Switch them off at the end of a working day instead of putting them on standby. Standby mode causes up to 10% of electricity costs in companies. The same applies to screen brightness. If you reduce it from 100% to 70%, you can save up to 20% energy.
3. Less is more.
Every email sent produces greenhouse gases, because the servers required for it need electricity. Given the flood of messages we send every day, this really adds up. This example illustrates it impressively: 33 million people are employed in the UK. If they sent two fewer emails per day, the country could save around 7,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. That's as much as 35,000 economy flights from London to Madrid emit.
So think carefully about which emails are really important and only copy in relevant people. Also take a look at which newsletters you are subscribed to and consider which ones you can safely unsubscribe from.
4. Smart printing.
A quarter of all documents end up in the bin within five minutes of being printed. Reduce your paper consumption by only printing what you really need. Use recycled paper and, if possible, print in black and white and double-sided. Adjust your default print settings accordingly.
5. Regional, organic, or seasonal?
One third of global CO2 emissions come from the food sector. In Austria, food accounts for 23% of the carbon footprint. So this is an area with a lot of potential. We can tap into it by replacing meat with plant-based foods more often at the office, reducing waste and food waste, and supporting sustainable agriculture – in other words, buying organic, regional, or seasonal products.
But which is better now, the organic tomato from Spain or the conventional Austrian tomato? The answer: it depends on the product. The greenhouse in which tomatoes are grown locally consumes a great deal of energy for year-round heating. By contrast, the transport of the organic tomato from Spain hardly makes a difference. Only in summer is the carbon footprint of the Austrian tomato smaller. As a rule of thumb: organic before seasonal, seasonal before regional. Organic products avoid pesticides and thus protect biodiversity. On top of that, they are better for our health.
Now it's your turn: Get going and increase your impact!
Five tips, five options for your first steps toward a Green Office. You decide where to start: Will you leave your car at home more often, reduce the brightness of your screen, or have a veggie day today? Whatever it is, the point is to get going.
And we have one more tip: change is easier when others join in. Motivate colleagues to join you and increase the fun – and of course your impact in the company. For example, share this article with others or talk about our Green Office tips during the lunch break, in the coffee kitchen, or at networking events. Let's go!
Continue to the Climate Academy!
If you want to continue your journey toward a Green Office and learn more climate-friendly measures for your company, sign up for the Climate Academy!
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