Green Office Week is a national initiative intended to raise awareness of the importance of eco-friendly offices and educate workers on how they can make a positive impact on the environment while at work.
AxizWorkgroup, an IT infrastructure and software distributor, is passionate about the environment and constantly provides solutions and information that can assist companies and employees in implementing green IT practices in the workplace.
“The IT industry isn’t traditionally seen as one that has a significant negative impact on the environment; however, the reality of the matter is that each one of us, no matter what industry we’re in, creates a carbon footprint every day. We need to find new and innovative ways to adapt what we do so that we become more environmentally friendly,” says Craig Brunsden, Executive Director at AxizWorkgroup.
AxizWorkgroup proposes the following 15 environmentally friendly tips that organisations can adopt:
1. Install LCD monitors – these consume less power and generate less heat than CRTs, thus conserving electricity.
2. Purchase products that have an Energy Star qualification. These products can translate into a significant reduction of energy costs. EPEAT rating is another indication of the environmental impact of the product.
3. Opt for notebooks over desktops and encourage users to operate off battery power instead of main power.
4. Reduce data centre power consumption through virtualisation, this reduces server/CPU count and power costs by up to 50%.
5. Optimise the energy settings for computers and other devices and encourage employees to switch their equipment off when they go home as opposed to leaving it in standby mode.
6. Printers, scanners, and other peripherals that are only used occasionally should be unplugged until they’re needed.
7. Digitise as much as possible – the more you do online, the less you need paper. Keep files on computers instead of in file cabinets and regularly back-up this information. Review documents onscreen rather than printing them out, and send e-mails instead of paper letters.
8. Encourage videoconferencing in order to minimise your carbon footprint by reducing travelling.
9. Install motion sensors to the office lights – these automatically turn the lights on and off, resulting in a tremendous saving of energy.
10. Replace individual printing units with multifunction printers (MFPs) where possible. MFPs operate more efficiently by using less energy and supplies and require less overhead supported costs.
11. Work from home if possible. Notebooks, smartphones, instant messaging, videoconferencing, and other innovative workflow tools have made the mobile office a reality.
12. Recycle used paper, utilise double-sided printing functions, avoid colour printing and print in draft mode when possible.
13. Recycle toner and ink cartridges.
14. Support environmentally friendly vendors in terms of procurement, and ensure their office networks are environmentally sound too.
15. Ensure you correctly recycle your old printers and computers.
Brunsden adds that organisations cannot afford to wait. “We all need to change the way we live our lives and adopt environmentally friendly initiatives. We have to find innovative ways that every person can implement as we work towards saving the world, one workstation at a time,” concludes Brunsden.
