Simple Ways to Make Your Working Life Greener | Collaborative post

This post was endorsed by and in collaboration with seareach.co.uk but all opinions are my own.

I see a lot of articles and blog posts about making your home life more ethical and sustainable. But I haven’t come across many that encourage making greener choices whilst working. Generally, we spend a lot of time working so it makes sense to make it a more eco-friendly space. I split my working time to be both at home and in the office so I wanted to focus on both places that people often work.

A recent survey by seareach.co.uk found the ways that businesses are making their offices greener. These are the results and ways to make your working life greener:

1. Paperless – Work is stored digitally 20%
2. Labelled waste bins – Suitable for recycling 18%
3. Solar panels for electricity 14%
4. LED bulbs – Use less energy and more efficient 12%
5. Green heating 9%
6. Reusable bottles 7%
7. Bike facilities 6%
8. Electric car charging points 6%
9. Motion-triggered lights 5%
10. Plants and natural light 3%

Making your home office eco-friendly

• When you’re working from home it can be tempting to put the heating for the whole house on if it gets a bit chilly. Try using a small heater in just your working space instead. Or put an extra jumper on for even less energy use!
• Keep a plant on or near your desk. They help to reduce the levels of pollutants in the air and they look great too. Studies have proven that houseplants improve concentration and make people feel calmer and more relaxed. I think we could all do with more of that whilst working!
• If you’re not blessed with a room that’s flooded with natural light then be sure to use energy efficient bulbs. Changing the bulb in your overhead lighting can have an effect on your concentration as well as helping the environment. LED bulbs give the most energy efficiency and can be found in varying colour temperatures to suit your needs.
• Most people have recycling bins in their kitchens, but do you have separate ones in your home office too? If you’re prone to putting everything in one bin and not sorting it then the easiest solution could be to get an extra bin for your recycling.

Encouraging greener practices in the workplace

• Taking lunch to work with you is a great way to help reduce waste, as well as saving money. Replace a plastic packaged meal deal with a packed lunch. You use a reusable food wrap for your sandwich and a water bottle that you can refill throughout the day.
• If you travel for work you can opt for the more environmentally friendly option of transport. You can get a bus or a train to most places, including to Europe. If you’re going somewhere remote or can’t take public transport then perhaps you can car share (in an electric car for extra points!).
• Start a group with your colleagues to do something for the environment on a regular basis. It could be a monthly meet up for activities such as planting trees or litter picking in your local area.
• Most offices have fluorescent strip lighting, which is pretty awful. Why not see if your company will make the change to lighting that’s friendlier for both the environment and your eyes?

Do you have any more ways to make your working life greener? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

If you’re looking for more tips on living more sustainably then read my last post on ditching fast fashion without spending a fortune.

This post was endorsed by and in collaboration with seareach.co.uk but all opinions are my own.