How To ‘Greenify’ Your Office After COVID-19

Coronavirus has undoubtedly changed our way of living and influenced the views we have on the environment. 

Since the start of the pandemic, cities all over the world have witnessed an array of positive environmental impacts following the removal of human activity. This, in turn, should now encourage us all to change our habits when life finally returns to normal, in order to ensure those changes remain for the foreseeable future. 

For instance, when the world’s workers start heading back to the office, it will be more important than ever for businesses to start thinking about implementing sustainable practices – whether that be altering the office’s interior decor or installing a bespoke renewable energy solution. 

If you are unsure about how or where to get started though, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. In this article, we will guide you through some of the most effective ways to ‘greenify’ your office once COVID-19 is finally over. 

Reduce Energy Usage & Work From Home

If you are looking to greenify your office following COVID-19, your first point of call should be to prioritising sustainability. 

Start by being more mindful about the amount of heating and air conditioning you use and reduce the temperature by a few degrees if you can stand it. This simple act can make a noticeable difference to both your office’s level of sustainability and its overall energy bills. 

With these bills in mind, try to educate yourself about the various types of renewable energy available and discover how implementing one of these in your office environment could reduce your CO2 output by tonnes – as the team at Nottingham-based Geo Green Power have done. 

Alternative sources of energy such as solar power can be quick and easy to install while providing your office space with an effective and reliable source of green energy. 

Prioritise Sustainability 

Another effective way of ‘greenifying’ your office comes through reflecting on how well your staff have handled the transition towards working from home.

Having been unable to collaborate within an office environment, many teams across the country will have had no choice but to continue their work from a home-based environment. This will undoubtedly have reduced the carbon footprint of your company since your staff won’t have needed to commute or use the office’s energy. 

Having proved that your business can survive on a ‘working from home’ basis, perhaps it’s time to implement this as a permanent feature of your office. By encouraging your staff to work from home as much as they can, this will significantly reduce your office’s environmental impact in terms of energy, electricity and water usage. 

Incentivise Your Staff 

One of the best ways to ensure your staff share a sense of responsibility for the office’s carbon footprint comes through incentivising them. By offering small rewards like gift vouchers when your staff reduce, recycle or reuse goods at work, this will encourage them to make eco-friendly changes over an extended period. 

A few ideas to think about include abandoning the use of plastic cutlery, commuting to work every day using public transport, and swapping their plastic bottles out for sustainable alternatives for a month. 

Work-branded material tote bags could also be used to reduce the level of plastic bags used in the office, while fruit and drink supplies should be purchased with sustainability in mind. 

Organise Your Waste

Becoming more aware of how your office handles waste disposal could help you greenify your office in a few simple steps. 

Firstly, consider the amount of waste you produce by reducing the amount of paper you use; go paperless where you can and avoid all unnecessary printing.  Secondly, set up a responsible disposal system in your office which features multiple bins for both recyclable and non-recyclable materials. 

Also, if you can, try to encourage your staff to take their food waste home with them to use within their very own compost systems. 

Plants, Plants & More Plants

Bringing plants into your office space not only brightens up the look of your desk but it also offers a number of additional benefits – improving the quality of air in the workspace, reducing stress and increasing levels of productivity. 

If however, you’re concerned about the level of upkeep required to keep your indoor plants alive, why not opt for an easy-to-maintain range of succulents or cacti? Alternatively, encourage your staff to create their very own indoor terrariums – combining a variety of plants together to help bring the natural world into your office.