How You Can Help Fight Climate Change at Work
To say that climate change has had a significant impact on our society would be a massive understatement. Carbon emissions have caused the planet’s temperature to rise, and we’ve seen how this change is impacting work life. Not only is climate change costing businesses more money, it’s also impacting the health of office workers around the country.
Take a few moments and learn about the negative effects climate change can have on your business. Then keep reading to see how you can help mitigate its effects.
Climate Change Affects the Workplace & Employee Health
Climate change has severely impacted the business world in a variety of ways. As temperatures go up, business owners need to pay more money to keep the air conditioning operating. The real issue, however, is how climate change directly impacts the health of office employees.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, high carbon dioxide levels can induce fatigue, which can impact the health of office workers. Carbon dioxide impacts decision making, and workers who were exposed to too much of it were seen to make poor choices at work. The higher heat levels also create a higher risk of dehydration, heat stroke, and other workplace incidents.
Climate change is bad for employee health, but fortunately there are things you can do to combat it. We’ve listed some of the things you can do to help from the comfort of your office.
Buy Recycled Office Products & Furniture
One of the best ways office employees can combat climate change is by purchasing office furniture and supplies made from recyclable materials.
When you throw away old pens and office chairs, they’ll end up in a local dump or landfill. As they decompose over a long period of time, greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, are released into the atmosphere. According to Ensia, 800 million metric tons of carbon dioxide was released from decomposing trash in 2010.
Buying furniture and supply items created from recycled materials will help combat this problem. Since they are made from renewable materials, you can recycle them for future use instead of throwing them away. As a result, less raw materials need to be harvested to make them, and the amount of garbage that decomposes in local landfills will be reduced.
Do More Local Shopping
Business owners can fight against climate change by buying supplies from local supply partners. When you buy office products from businesses outside your state, delivery trucks must travel longer distances to deliver them. The longer the trucks stay on the road, the more carbon emissions they produce, which leads to more damage to the ozone layer.
By shopping from a local partner, delivery trucks spend less time on the road, and less greenhouse gases will be emitted. You’ll also be supporting your local community, which will help your business in other ways. You can also save a fair amount of money in the process.
Manage Your Office Equipment & Printers
To lower your carbon footprint at the office, you should be more mindful of how much electricity you are using.
While you’re at the office, you should make it a habit to shut off printers, copiers, and any other business machines while they aren’t in use. They can still use electricity while they’re plugged in, which leads to continued emissions from power plants. The simple act of unplugging machines, along with other paper-saving measures and recycling ink and toner can reduce your carbon footprint considerably.
You could also benefit from switching over to Energy Star devices that are designed to use less energy. According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, over 1.5 billion pounds of greenhouse emissions can be saved by using Energy Star certified machines. If you can, consider replacing some of your existing business machines to help out.
Take Advantage of Telecommuting
Telecommuting is one of the most popular trends in the business world right now. Thanks to advances in technology, office employees can work on assignments from the comfort of their own homes. The simple act of working from home can prevent thousands of carbon emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
When office workers don’t have to drive to the office, they cut down the amount of time they are spending on the road. As one would expect, this dramatically cuts down the amount of carbon emissions being produced. Business owners could stand to be more flexible in this regard, as it could do a lot to mitigate the effects of climate change.
If you want to buy office furniture and office supplies locally, Big Cat Solutions delivers items to Los Angeles, Orange County, and more.
