Loading
Greening Up Your Office Building
As the environment continues to worsen, as the impact of climate change begins to be felt in the form of dramatic weather changes, shifts in animal behavior and other, more sinister, signs, the quest for better, more environmentally friendly designs is increasing. While greening up your home is simple enough, many people do not know that they can do much to make their office building more environmentally friendly. Whether you work in the building or manage the building, you will find that there is much you can do.
1. Walk – Consider walking where you need to go in the building, rather than taking the elevator. Elevators use quite a bit of power and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions – walking a couple of floors will help spare the environment and will even result in better health for you.
2. Lighting – Office building lighting is an enormous source of power expenditure. The more power it uses, the more greenhouse gases are emitted from power generating stations. Changing out the lighting in your office (and throughout the entire building) can have an enormous impact on power usage and your electric bill. New high emission, low power lighting is available for interior office use, as well as exterior use in parking areas and for security lights.
3. Add A Recycling Program – If your office building does not already have one, a recycling program can do wonders for the environment. Not only does it keep additional waste from filling up landfills, but it can also help keep trees from being felled and keep other environmental resources intact.
4. Install New Flooring – Carpet is an enormous source of allergens and chemical pollution. Consider replacing carpeted floors with tile or natural stone. If carpet is required, consider using low-VOC adhesive and environmentally friendly carpet types.
5. Windows and Doors – Office windows and doors can have a tremendous impact on heating and cooling, increasing the amount of electricity used. Consider replacing existing windows and doors with specialized environmentally friendly options. These reduce the amount of heating and cooling that are lost outside, while providing more than ample light emission t the interior.
6. Add More Natural Light – Natural light costs nothing and is better for the inhabitants of the office building. Consider adding natural lighting through the installation of new windows, or using other solutions such as light ducts and light delivery systems to decrease power consumption and even reduce eyestrain in workers.