Take Action At Work

Commute for the environment
www.commuterchoice.com  
Start a carpool or walk, bike, or use mass transportation instead of driving. Also, encourage your employer to be a "Best Workplace for Commuters" (www.bwc.gov). Finally, check out how every trip you take can affect air quality at It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air (www.italladdsup.gov/drivers/index.asp).

Apply green building principles (http://www.ofee.gov) to your office buildings - they affect natural resources, land use, energy use, worker and public health, and community well being. With sustainable design - or green building - tools, the federal government can protect human health and worker productivity, reduce costs and risks, and build with greater responsibility towards future generations. Green Building principles lead to building in greater harmony with the environment, consciously sustaining and renewing natural resources.

Become a Green Power Partner ( http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/gpp_partners.htm ). Green Power Partners are replacing significant portions of the electricity they use with green power. By buying green power, Partners choose to support power sources that improve the environment.

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Reduce energy use

• Use Energy Star's energy-efficient office products
  www.energystar.gov
  Make sure that you turn on the energy saving features.
  
• Turn off your computer monitor, printers, copy machines, and the lights when they are not being used.
• If possible, take the stairs instead of using the elevator.
• Use high-efficiency fluorescent lighting or natural light (see http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/factsheets.html)
• Prepare for winter - Five steps can help businesses identify energy savings and help establish an energy management strategy.

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Reduce, reuse, and recycle office products

• Buy recycled content, remanufactured, and recyclable office products, and recycle them when appropriate (including e-cycling electronics). At a minimum, buy recycled paper and recycle it again. See the small business guide to pollution prevention for more information: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/p2home/pubs/assist/sbg.htm
• Clean Out Your Files and recycle papers you no longer need. Many organizations sponsor cleaning weeks; check with your office management staff.
  
• Use spell check and proofread before you print or copy. Print double sided whenever possible. Minimize the amount of paper you use.
• Buy reusable office supplies instead of disposable supplies.
• Set up an area to store and exchange reusable office supplies, such as binders
• Recycle fluorescent bulbs properly to prevent hazardous mercury from entering the environment.

Use environmentally preferable cleaning supplies
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/epp/pubs/products/cleaner.htm

In addition to these items, check the Environmental Protection Agency's "At the Workplace" page (epa.gov/epahome/workplac.htm) for information about in an office, on a farm, worker health and safety, and at school.

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Use water more efficiently

Water-saving techniques can save money, and divert less water from our rivers, bays, and estuaries which help keep the environment healthy. They can also reduce water and wastewater treatment costs and the amount of energy used to treat, pump, and heat water. Facility managers are finding that water efficiency programs are a cost-effective way to reduce operating costs. Saving water also means saving costs for electric power, gas, chemicals, and wastewater disposal.

• Learn more about how to use water efficiently in your business.

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Do more - and get recognized for it

EPA's Performance Track is a voluntary partnership program that recognizes and rewards facilities that consistently exceed regulatory requirements, work closely with their communities, and excel in protecting the environment and public health. EPA provides exclusive regulatory and administrative benefits to Performance Track members, places them at low priority for routine inspections, and offers public recognition, networking opportunities, and other benefits.

• Find out about Performance Track and apply for membership.

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