Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent. Turn off the lights when leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can.

Do you know that: Artificial lighting accounts about 50% of the electricity use in office buildings.

For us an important thing is to think before we hit the print button: could this be read or stored online instead. When we print we do it on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible. We buy eco-friendly materials like recycled paper.

Do you know that: Of the global wood harvest for “industrial uses” 42% goes to paper production.

Turn off  computer and make sure the power strip it’s plugged into when leaving the office for the day. During the day, set computers to go to sleep automatically during short breaks.

Do you know that: Desktop computers uses 4 to 8 times more electricity than laptops. Screen savers don’t save energy; put computer on sleep/ stand by mode and save 2 to 5 times less energy.

Recycle everything the company collects. Just about any kind of paper that would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled. So can be the old cell phones, PDA, or pager. Do a policy to place recycling bins in accessible, high-traffic areas and provide clear information about what can and can not be recycled.

Do you know that: Recycling paper instead of making it from new material generates 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water.