AD With my blog opening up more and more opportunities I have recently created my own little workspace free from mountains of soft toys, lego bricks, farmyard sounds; basically all child-related bric-a-brac, noises and distractions so I can write. Of course, as I am a walking blogger cliche, I immediately filled it with rose gold stationery, an unnecessary amount of marble notebooks and planners, all my issues of Blogosphere and all the expensive makeup and skincare I use in the background of my photos as well as different props and camera lenses. We moved into our house just under a year ago and have made some serious improvements including renovating our office, landscaping the garden and redecorating the girl’s bedrooms, however, it’s STILL a work in process.
More and more of my friends, families and work colleagues are making relatively small changes to their lifestyle and home in order to live a more sustainable, eco-friendly life and reduce the imprint they leave on the environment. I am definitely becoming more conscious of how wasteful my family is in terms of energy, plastic and food. I’ve been implementing small changes including getting a smart meter installed, using natural cleaning products and involving the kids in organising our recycling. In a recent survey made by https://www.seareach.co.uk/ to find what elements play an important part in making offices green they found that implementing and installing the following can make a huge difference to our imprint and many of these elements are also relevant to our homes:
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%
Don’t Worry Making Small Changes in Your Office and Home Couldn’t be Easier
Go paperless – Why not scan and archive important documents, letters and other paperwork to help to move completely digital? The more you can store digitally and the less paper you use, the more you will transform your office into becoming green.
Label recycling waste bins – Clearly labelling your waste bins will help and encourage your family and even co-workers to recycle. With clear and concise instructions accompanied with colourful easy to identify graphics, it makes it easier for everyone to follow and join in.
Solar panels for electricity – The photovoltaic cells on panels use the sun’s energy to provide a green renewable energy source and allow you to have lighting and run lower power appliances.
Installing LED bulbs – The energy consumption of LED lights can be up to a 75% saving, compared to halogen bulbs. This results in much less energy required and is a cost-effective effort towards your office running costs.
Green heating – The cheapest source for heating and is very efficient. Easy & cheap to install and performs well.
Reusable water bottles – Bring in your own water bottle such as this lovely personalised one from Oh So Cherished that can be refilled at work and on the go.
Bike facilities – Asking work to provide a bike rack can encourage employees to cycle to work, cutting down pollution and helping with general health and fitness.
Electric car charging points – Electric cars provide more energy efficiency up to 85-90%, over ICE (Internal Combustion Engines). They are overall much greener and don’t require expensive fossil fuels in order to operate.
Motion-detection lights – Having these all-around communal areas helps improves energy efficiency. These can be ideal in seldom-used rooms or shared rooms. This will save energy if people are in and out and often forget to turn off lights.
Plants and natural light – Having plants in your home and office will aesthetically soften areas with boring colours and oxygenate the air.
There are various ways we can reduce waste and energy consumption whether it be at home or work. Seareach’s survey highlights the importance of going digital when it comes to creating a more environmentally conscious workplace which was closely followed by clearly labelling bins for recycling. I created a small recycling station in my home so my little girl can also help and be more aware of her impact on our planet, no matter how tiny it may be at the moment.
Are there any changes you could make to your office or home to create a greener living and workspace?
*This is a collaborative blog post.
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