• If your company shares office space, it is a good idea to share larger pieces of equipment eg photocopier
• Reduce unwanted mail by auditing and unsubscribing from mailing lists
• The amount of space you occupy
• Reduce outgoing mail by maximizing electronic communications with clients and suppliers.

Establishing the methodology to monitor our greenhouse gas emissions has enabled us to focus our efforts to reduce those emissions in a targeted fashion . Kennedy Associates

• Reuse scrap paper

  "Australians are the second highest waste producers in the world.

  We throw away 3.3 million tonnes of food a year - the equivalent of a quarter of the nations food supply." NSW DECC

• Put food waste in a worm farm or composting bin - call your local council:

  "Many people think worms are yucky, but in fact they are quite clean. They have no known diseases and their digestive system destroys pathogens. The job they do cannot be compared to anything else. If everyone had a worm farm our compostable garbage would be reduced by 1 tonne per person per year. That's an amazing amount and worms do it all for you. They are really fantastic - so happy worm farming. ABC" Gardening Australia Presenter: Jane Edmanson 2006,
  http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1620935.htm

• Ensure there is a collection agreement for recycling with cleaners and waste collection companies.
• Everything you throw away has a carbon footprint - created through its production and ultimately its disposal.  Think about a product's end of life and look at cradle to cradle concepts.
• Try and reduce the amount you bin - by buying less and reusing things, then recycling as much as you can of what is left
• Buy recycled printer cartridges
• Buy recycled printer paper and other stationery
• Look at recycled content of furniture/ fit out

GreenPower is electricity generated from new clean and renewable sources using sunlight, wind, water or organic matter rather than fossil fuels like coal and oil.

• This may sound simple but turning off lights when you leave the office can make a big difference to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Timers are also an effective way of ensuring that lights are not left on after hours.  Motion sensors can also be installed so lights are only on when needed and light zoning review may be possible for reduction of lights turned on near windows during the daytime.

..we simply started switching off lights when not needed to the point that now we use low energy floor stands . Atelier Haefeli

• A switch to energy efficient light bulbs.
• Clean and maintain your lights.

• http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/gwci/lights.html

• Take a look at the way your business heats and cools the premises.
• Don't heat or cool boardrooms, storerooms or corridors unnecessarily and switch from rigidly seasonal heating/cooling to a scheme which reflects the prevailing temperature and is turned off at weekends, at night and during holiday periods.

Our electricity bills have halved now ! Atelier Haefeli

We need to conserve our water supplies. Processing it requires huge amounts of energy, generating significant carbon emissions. Reduced pumping and energy consumption also carries obvious economic benefits with reduction in costs, while avoiding the need for new infrastructure that feeds unsustainable demand.

• Check for leaking taps - simple maintenance saves water and money
• If you have a shower at work - change to a water efficient shower head and add a shower timer to encourage shorter showers
• Wash up efficiently. If you have a dishwasher, only turn it on when there is a full load.
• Look at installing a rainwater tank.

Every 15 litres of hot water used from an electric water heater generates about one kilogram of greenhouse gas.

• Check your water heater for efficiency - energy star rating
• Is it electric, gas or solar - CO2 emissions?
• Is hot water really necessary in bathrooms?
• Is it necessary to leave tea urns and water heaters on all day?
• Is it necessary to fill the kettle completely for just one cup of coffee?

• http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/gwci/water.html

Computers are a great invention, but when left idling for hours, they contribute to the greenhouse gas problem.  A computer left on all day, every day uses nearly 1,000 kilowatts of electricity over a year.  A computer that is switched off at the end of the day uses less than 250 kilowatts:

• Set your computer to enter power saving mode after 10 minutes of inactivity - this could cut its energy use by 60-70%
• Switch screensavers to "none" or "blank"
• Shut your computer down if you are not going to be using it for more than an hour or two.
• Do not leave your computer on overnight;
• Locate your power points where they can be seen and turned off easily;
• Unplug your computer at the end of the day - it uses small amount of electricity even when finally shut down.  This is the same for some electrical appliances and electronic equipment such as phone chargers using standby energy.

Turning off the monitor screens at the end of the day, turning off power of all equipment and turning the lights off there were savings of 20-25% in 2007-2008 compared to the usage for the previous year . Crawford Architects

Paper comprises up to 70 percent of office waste, with 10,000 A4 sheets used for every Australian worker each year.  That's equal to 10 million trees (True Green:  Kim McKay and Jenny Bonin)

Saving paper is a simple but powerful way we can take personal responsibility and reduce our environmental impact

• Print less - establish a "think before you print" policy:
  • Read emails on screen - do not print them unless it is absolutely necessary.  If it necessary to print, switch your printer to double-sided and ensure the paper you are using is recycled
  • Many of us print because we fear data loss.  Develop electronic back-up plans and stick to them
• Encourage others in the office not to print either
• Encourage staff to recycle - place paper recycling bins in convenient locations all over the office
• Organise your documents electronically and devise a system where they can be accessed easily, by staff.

Paper use showed a declining trend through out the year. Greenhouse gas emissions attributable to paper were close to that of computer use . Kennedy Associates

The kitchen is an excellent place to introduce initiatives. Just get a few people talking and you may find most of your environmental work done for you.

• Avoid using disposable paper, plastic plates and plastic utensils - use washable coffee cups and containers. Take them to the shop.
• Buy Local or Fair Trade
• Buy products with minimal packaging in bulk
• Switch to products that are non-toxic
• Collect organic waste for composting. Consider a worm farm for the office or building.

The kitchen area appears to use surprisingly high proportion of energy use but on reflection this was not so surprising considering there is a refrigerator, hot water unit as well as kettle and coffee unit and microwave . Kennedy Associates

Transport generates a large - and growing - proportion of carbon dioxide emissions - think about ways to reduce your transport footprint:

• Think before you drive
• Try car pooling
• When travelling for meetings, maximize opportunities for other meetings while away
• Use efficient cars
• Encourage staff to travel on public transport, cycle or walk
• Offer public transport tickets as part of salary package
• Provide facilities for cycling - somewhere safe to store the bike, showers, lockers etc
• Is it necessary to have meetings face-to-face or is this something that can be discussed by phone/video/skype link?

Working from home has the advantage of being able to walk to work. We use the car for site visits and client meetings which are usually out of peak times but we also try to have as many meetings in the office as possible. Atelier Haefeli

Air travel contributes approximately 6% of our personal greenhouse gas emissions and approximately 3% of global carbon emissions.  Cutting out non-essential flights is probably the single most important thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint:

• consider teleconferencing/video-conferencing
• make trips worthwhile, maximize business opportunities.
• If you have to travel, consider joining a carbon-offset scheme.