Make it an eco-friendly workspace
Greening the office space has almost limitless possibilities….

AIR:
Make sure your office has good ventilation. Use a fan to keep air circulating, put an air filter over air-conditioning ducts, or install a freestanding air filter that circulates and filters the air in the office. And strictly prohibit smoking in the office.

FURNISHINGS:
Buy eco-friendly desks, chairs, cabinets, space dividers, and toher furniture. Source furniture made from sustainably harvested woods and recycled, bio-based, or non-toxic materials, and made with glues, paints, foams, and other ingredients that don't give off noxious odours. Also avoid thick pile carpeting, choose plain decorative flooring instead. Avoid the extensive use of textiles and fabrics. Ensure that employess work at quality ergonomically designed desks with adjustable chairs.

LIGHTING:
Encourage, natural lighting as far as possible; not only is it free, it's been proven to improve worker productivity and satisfaction. If that's not possible, use full-spectrum, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). In addition to relieving eyestrain by being more like natural light, they also save energy. Absolutely replace all incandescent bulbs with CFLs; there's also a selection of high-end LED desk lamps that use very small amounts of energy.

SPECIFIC SOURCES OF POLLUTION:
Did you know copiers and laser printers emit ozone, a colourless, odourless gas to which some people are sensitive? Some of the headaches people get when seated in front of a computer result from ozone emissions from their printers. Photocopiers should ideally be placed in a separate room away from where employees sit, and if printing is extensive, the printer too should be in a separate area. Radiation comes out from all parts of electronic equipment, not just front. Studies have found that computers, video-display terminals and other electronic elements generate electrical fields that can cause headaches and fatigue.

SUPPLIES:
When buying printer paper, look for recycled paper with a minimum of chlorine bleaching. Even recycled paper takes up a great deal of energy, water, and chemical resources in its processing. When using paper, print on both sides of the page when appropriate and use discarded prints as notepaper. Try to choose printers and photocopiers that do double-sided printing. If your office ships packages, reuse boxes and use shredded waster paper as packing materials.

PLANTS:
Though it's true that plants can purify workplaces, some plants cn also cause skin or respiratory allergies. Also excessive numbers or large sizes of potted plants, especially if they have a high turnover of water, in an office with inadequate ventilation could increase humidity and actually worsen the work environment. So choose your plants with care.

BE A GREEN EMPLOYEE:

• A computer is a central tool at work. Set your computer to energy-saving settings and always shut down when you leave for the day ('standyby' se4ttings continue to draw power even when not in use). Plug hardware into a power strip with an on/off switch, the whole desktop setup can be turned off at once(turn off inkjet printers before you do so). Printers, scanners, and otherperipherals that are only used occasionally can stay unplugged until they're needed. Turn off lights in spaces that are unoccupied. Also turn off your monitor ( and computer for longer periods) when you don't need it. This will reduce the office temperature and noise levels. Use glare screens and lead or radiation filters on your monitor.
  
• Reduce office noise by turning down the volume on your telephone.
  
• In this digital age we really don't need to consume enormous amounts of paper. We use it once or twice and then toss or recycle it. Keep things digital whenever possible. Work online(store files on Gmail), keep files on computers instead of infile cabinets (easier to access, transfer and carry). Review documents onscreen instead of printing them out. Senmd emails instead of letters.
  
• Reuse and recycle… some paper use can't be avoided, so recycle all paer and envelopes that you can lay your hands on. Use pencils, refillable pens and markers instead of disposable ones.
  
• Carpool, bike or walk when weather permits. Arrange an office carpool with people living in the same area or when the weather permits bike it with a colleague. You could also consider getting a hybrid, electric vehicle, motorcycle or scooter if you don't live too far. You'd probably be the first out of the traffic and into the office.
  
• If you work the straight shift, bring lunch to work in reusable containers. Calling for takeout creates packaging waste. Also bring in a reusable plate, cup/mug, cutlery and always carry small towels.
  

By making even minor changes in your office environment, you can add some charge to the work day.