Energy conservation is an important topic in a green office culture. Turning off lights, computers, and other items during non-use saves significant energy and costs, as well as:

• Turn desk lights off when not in use
  
• Use motion-sensor activated lighting in copy rooms, break and common areas
  
• Create a lighting plan to include a first and last person in/out to flip the switches
  
• Use low-mercury-level fluorescent lighting tubes
  
• Adjust lighting levels to meet lighting standards, and reduce unnecessary use

Computer recycling. Collections from home and office are a way to provide donations to charities that, in turn, disassemble and recondition systems for reuse and recycling. This also provides much needed training and jobs in a world that is accelerating electronic technology faster than finding efficient ways to manage the e-waste stream.

Hold on to three-ring binders. You need only a small cabinet space for depositing the used binders. When you need them, these binders are available for anyone to use. And if you still have leftover binders, donate them to local schools.

Reuse cardboard. Encourage box recycling. Allow your employees to take home boxes for home use. On average, it takes 17 mature trees to produce one ton of cardboard.

Drink coffee from personal mugs. Try this instead of using paper or foam cups.

Gather plastic beverage containers (PET). These materials can be collected in containers, and the proceeds can then be donated to charity.

Collect used batteries. Our gadget-driven world has significantly increased our use of these materials. Collect them and take them to an appropriate recycler.

Gently used office furniture, desks, chairs, and barriers typically find their way to our landfills. Often times hey can be donated to local charities, too.

There are many benefits that will result from actions and initiatives, like green office environmentalism. As any student of biology realizes, the relationships of all people orchestrating to the ultimate benefit of a given ecosystem (ecology) will result in a healthy system, or in our case, an office.

We must all work to better understand that environmental projects like these relate and benefit the donor, beneficiary and earth. Stewardship, within our offices, means that we care for all that share this wonderful world. Everyone has immense responsibilities to serve others with dignity and peace.