6 Ways Your Office Can Save The Earth

1. Forget disposable cups

If you missed Earth Day this week, not to worry; here are six tips you can use every day at the office (and at home) to make the world a greener place, courtesy of Transwestern energy and sustainability VP Mahesh Tharoor. Keep coffee mugs, glasses and insulated drink containers for employees to use in the break room (like Mahesh here at the office) and keep extras around for office visitors, Mahesh advises.

2. Skip the water bottles

Drink tap water instead of bottled water, he says. Not only is tap water safer and more regulated than bottled water, but many bottled waters use municipal water as their source anyway. Adding a filter on the water faucet can be beneficial if it’s designed to filter out impurities that are actually in your water. Testing the water is the only way to determine what’s in it, he says.

3. Go digital

The greenest paper is no paper at all, Mahesh says. Keep things digital whenever possible. The more you do online, the less you need paper and keep files on computers instead of in file cabinets. (Just remember to back that data up now and then.)

4. Videoconference instead of traveling

Make it a policy to invest in videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel, Mahesh suggests.

5. Bring in the green

Plants do more than just beautify your work space; they also absorb indoor air pollution, increase the flow of oxygen and can help prevent "sick building syndrome"—a condition in which off-gases from office decor, carpeting and furniture can lead to upper respiratory colds, eye infections, viruses and inflamed allergies, Mahesh tells us.

6. Bring your lunch

Bringing lunch to work in reusable containers is more sustainable for the environment and for your wallet, Mahesh says. It also encourages healthier eating. If your workplace has a cafeteria, encourage employees to use washable trays, serving dishes and utensils rather than disposable ones. When you order food for delivery, do so with a group to minimize the trash. Tell the vendor to forgo the plastic utensils and paper plates. And if the vendor is off-site, consider walking to pick up your order rather than having it delivered, he tells us.