Kylie's environmentally friendly workplace tips

Here are a few hints and tips off the top of my head, commonly known ones really, that I've picked up over the years as a keen recycler and environmentally aware person in the home. Sometimes I find that the following practices aren't being applied in the workplace as much as they could be.

Recycling options to the level we have enjoyed as residents in recent years: Paper, glossy paper, cardboard, milk cartons, plastic, glass, tins, and don't forget to rinse before you throw it in the recycling bin.

If your workplace has a garden, you could even go so far as to set up a compost bin in the work kitchen, although I've not looked into how this sits with OHS and W regulations about clean work kitchens.

Print jobs on double-sided paper, and re-use scrap printing paper where at all practical. There is also the 'think before you print' mantra, which rings true within reason. A lot of us prefer to digest relevant information of a certain amount in print form, where too much reading on the screen can send us bleary-eyed.

Set workplace and library space temperatures to realistic levels for the season. When indoors, putting cardigans on in the summer or being warm to the extent of stuffiness in the winter is unnecessary, and is most likely using more air-con power. It would be great to be in a work space where you can open the windows, when the weather is right.

I have heard one tip where people could turn off the PCs at their workstations during their lunch break to save electricity. This is not a bad idea.

Switching off any speaker and monitor switches at the end of the day is also saving some electricity that would otherwise be used a little in 'standby' light mode overnight.

It is good news that more modern library spaces are taking advantage of natural light in their building design. This is better for our well-being, compared to the many fluorescent lights.

There are plenty of building features that are environmentally friendly, beyond the scope of what I'm even aware of. There are timer lights going out, reactivated by sensors when people come back into a room; solar panels for power, solar hot water systems, rainwater collecting on the roof, recyclable 'grey water' filtered and re-used for flushing toilets, and on it goes.

While we're at it, plants in the work space and greenery out the window to gaze upon is also very good for all our well-being, resting those eyes from hours of PC screens.

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