Green Office Week points the way to simple sustainability

This is the fifth year that Green Office Week has been organised and it seems that each year, the awareness of how much this type of environmental initiative is needed grows massively.

This year, according to the Green Office Week survey, 58% of office workers want to be more resourceful and less wasteful. Office supplies specialist Avery says that despite the global economic uncertainty, only 12% of office workers feel that the environment is now less of a priority for their business than before.

Nearly half of office staff members (42%) say that the financial crisis has actually increased the need for their workplace to be as green as ever, encouraging greater resourcefulness and less waste. Green Office Week has a different focus for each of the five working days.

Avery says: “This can be as simple as ensuring that lights are turned off in areas that are not in use or that PCs, screens, copiers, peripherals etc. are switched off overnight or when not in use. It really can be as simple as that.”

Avery asks every person working in UK offices to become “a true green champion” by taking the Green Office Week daily themes and making them work each day, every week of the year. We heartily second that.

And we’d also suggest that every company professional can make the organisation’s sustainability stakeholders aware that there are simple, structural changes that can take being green to the next level – saving companies a small fortune by slashing energy and water bills.

Every company can invest in a range of products, from taps and tap aerators to eco showerheads, and from lighting to heating/ventilation (HVAC) and better boiler management.