GREEN OFFICE

Now let's check the office. A big part of greening your workplace involves cutting down on energy use and waste. You have probably noticed how computers, printers, faxes and so on consumed a lot of energy and create heat. This warms up the work space, which the air-con struggles to cool down while releasing heat outside the building. Make sure that these devices stay switched off when they are not in use, and use them as sparsely as you can. That's also applies to lighting. You can achieve significant savings by using Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs); this bulbs may cost more but they use about 20-25 % of the electricity of similar conventional lighting- over time, you're saving on your bills and reducing the quantity of stuff that ends up in Jakarta's bottomless landfills. On the supply side, you have plenty of option to reduce waste, such as: For workshop and seminars, reduce as much as possible the quantitiy of printed material and rely on electronic copies, flashdisks or CDs to share files. Cut down on packaging and waste in the office kitchen by introducing reusable dishware. Make notepads using scrap paper. Wherever possible, reuse envelopes and purchase envelopes with re-sealable lips, and space for multiple adresses, to extend their lifetime. Reuse folders and files. Bring your lunch in your own reusable packaging. The usual suspect in the office of course is your good ol' laser printer, which is probably churning out wads after wads of paper that are destined for a short and inglorious end in wastebin. It's been preached and clamored on the rooftops, but there's no saying it enough; to make your paper go further, use both sides of the sheet and disposeof it in a designated recycling bin. That paper works or paper waste can be mulched in and turn into new paper products. Now, for the final touch - some vegetation to top off your office's environment-concious rebirth. Sansevieria plants (Mother-in-law's tongue) will highlight your green credentials and wont strain your gardening skills; they are not particularly picky about how much water they receive, and they don't need much sunlight either. Your best bet for a good deal are the streetside flower sellers on Jl. Asia Africa in Central Jakarta. There, we're done for today. Before you close the door, make sure you switch off the lights.