"I Saved at the Office"

How coffee mugs and two-sided printing can save the planet — one office at a time.

ALBANY, NEW YORK

Mary Ellen Cowan is an environmentalist.

She doesn’t keep a worm composter under her desk. She doesn’t stop to hug trees on her way into the office. But where she can change her workplace habits to create less trash or use less energy, she does. An office "green" program offers her even more opportunities to make those changes.

"I hope I’m making a difference," says Cowan, a member of the Civil Service Employees Association/ AFSCME Local 1000 and a clerk for New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation. "I hope we gradually learn to use less and to re-use things. We’re going to run out of space in the landfills. Then where are you going to put the trash?"

By cutting down on waste and reducing energy use, AFSCME members can help protect the environment. Cowan does her part: She carpools to work, recycles paper and glass, and drinks from a coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.

By convincing your employer to adopt environment-friendly practices — especially if you work for a government agency — you can increase your green power many times over.

Here are a few simple ways you can help Mother Nature even when you’re at work.

10 Things You Can Do

1. Take mass transit or carpool to work.

2. Use a mug instead of a disposable cup.

3. Bring lunch in re-usable containers, instead of bringing or buying it in disposable ones.

4. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

5. Reduce and re-use paper: make two-sided copies; edit on your computer instead of on paper; shrink your fax cover sheet to half a page or to a sticker at the top of the first page; use paper that is blank on one side as scrap paper or as a fax cover sheet.

6. Turn off your computer, lights and other equipment at night and on weekends.

7. Use a fax-modem when possible: no hard copy required on your end.

8. Use e-mail or bulletin boards to distribute information, instead of memos.

9. Where available, recycle paper, glass, newspaper, magazines, etc.

10. Urge your department or organization to start a green program.

10 Things Your Employer Can Do

1. Start a green program to make the office more environmentally friendly.

2. Subsidize and/or facilitate employees taking mass transit or carpooling.

3. Provide each employee with a mug, and supply extra mugs for guests.

4. Buy and use recycled paper and other environmentally friendly products.

5. Install energy-efficient lighting and heating systems.

6. Use non-toxic (and worker-friendly) cleaning supplies.

7. Buy environmentally friendly equipment, like photocopiers and printers with double-sided capabilities and energy-saving automatic standby features.

8. Collect and recycle paper, glass, newspaper, aluminum, etc.

9. Provide a refrigerator, sink and microwave to encourage bringing and eating lunch without disposableproducts.

10. Buy in bulk to reduce packaging.

By Alison S. Lebwohl

Selected Resources

Ralph Nader’s Government Purchasing Project. (202) 387-8030

Working Your Way to a Green Office, sponsored by Environment Canada.

Recycling at Work, a campaign of the National Office Paper Recycling Project, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. (202) 223-3088.