45 Stress-Free Ways You Can Save The Planet

And if you’re reading this article, some part of you understands that. It's estimated that the amount of plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish by 2050. That means most of those plastic water bottles, to-go containers, and iced coffee straws are not making the recycle bin but getting thrown away each year. It’s estimated that 1500 plastic bottles per second are trashed. Is it really worth the 15 minutes you spend drinking it? I don’t think so.

The great news is that making your office “green-er” really isn’t a hard thing to do. Whether you’re an employer or an employee, there are tons of tiny steps you can take—steps that go a long way. We've got 40+ easy ways to help make a difference.

So employees and employers, listen up — think small things like biking to work, buying a reusable straw, or choosing sustainable and renewable options for clients and staff like Boxed Water over plastic water bottles from faraway islands.

If you’re not already convinced that this is important—because, you know, the planet is dying and all—let us try again to persuade you. Green initiatives also feed into a positive office culture—and positive work cultures translate into boosted productivity. (Just like plants do.)

Ready to save the planet from the comfort of your desk chair? Let’s go.

Consider the Environment While at Work

1. Keep Your Own Utensils and Cups On-Hand (for Coffee, Orange Juice, Vodka, Whatever)

Steal some silverware and cute mugs from your home stash and keep them in your work desk. Next time there is a birthday cake, you won’t need to go stalking around for plastic cutlery! If you simply need a straw for your iced coffee or orange juice, invest in non-plastic options. Stainless steel straws, like these ones from Greens Steel, are a great reusable option. These ones even come with a straw brush cleaner!

2. Bring Your Lunch

Stop buying a daily lunch with wasteful plastic packages, utensils, napkins, and other extraneous packaging. Invest in some reusable Tupperware and watch both the environment and your wallet heave a sigh of relief. You can also invest in Bee’s Wrap, a sustainable alternative to plastic food storage containers.

3. Dine at EcoFriendly Businesses

If you do go out for lunch, eat at eco-friendly restaurants—and make sure to tip your server well. 

4. Skip Plastic Bottles and Drink Boxed Water

When you’re on the go, you won’t always have a reusable bottle nearby. Instead of reaching for a plastic bottle, reach for a better option. Boxed Water is paper-based and environmentally friendly from beginning to end. It’s 100% pure water in a 100% recyclable box. If your office provides complimentary water, you should urge them to make it Boxed Water.

5. Reduce Electricity

Reduce electricity where you can. Do you need that desk lamp on when that 10 a.m. sun is glaring down? Does your phone need to be plugged in all day? Need that monitor on, or that screensaver bouncing around? A big part of saving energy at work is simply being mindful about what you don’t need at any given time.

6. Set Up Recycling Bins

Normally, we would reserve this tip for upper management. Give management a break by taking the onus off of them to begin a recycling initiative. Some states will offer free recycling bins or recycling start kits for offices or schools. Look into it and get started with office-wide recycling.

Bonus: start a composting pile at work.

7. Communicate to Your Team

Okay, we know. Nobody loves the coworker who is constantly harping on the environment. However, it is crucial that somebody calls attention to it. There are ways to communicate more environmentally-friendly habits to your coworkers without being too overbearing.

For example, if you receive those state-sponsored recycling bins, consider sending out an (approved) all-company email explaining the differences between composting, recycling, and landfill. A little tutorial can go a long way.

8. Power Down When Possible

Even when your computer is off, it is using energy whenever it is plugged in. Unplug and power down whenever possible.

9. Smart Power Strips

Smart power strips are a great way to conserve energy. Smart power strips do the work of “unplugging” powered-down devices for you. When a smart strip detects a device is turned off, it will cut off electricity to it.

10. Use the Hand Dryers

Paper towels or hand dryers? If you have the option, choose hand dryers. Paper towels amount to a tremendous amount of trash that is very rarely recycled.

11. Don’t Print Everything

That multi-colored checklist is really cute, but do you really need to print it? Probably not. Cut down on printing by really asking yourself if it’s necessary.

12. Use Both Sides of Your Paper

Our Content + Production Associate Jacq has a “notebook” that is entirely comprised of scrap paper. Be more like Jacq.

13. Go Entirely Paperless

Does your office even need a printer at all? Seriously ask yourself this question. It’s 2019. And printers are still kind of the worst electronic to deal with, anyway.

14. Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies

Non-toxic cleaning supplies not only improve indoor air quality, but are also typically made with sustainable or recycled materials, cutting down on a whole lot of waste. Have you looked into the cleaning properties of non-toxic cleaners like baking soda or lemons? If that’s a little too much to ask, consider shopping our favorite responsible cleaners, like The Laundress, Method or Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day.

15. Buy Compostable Products (When You Need to)

If you need to buy disposable plates or cutlery, shop responsibly. Buy items that are made from recycled materials and/or are compostable.

16. Mind Your Thermostat

We know you need to blast the heat when it’s -12 degrees in the dead of winter or blast the AC in the stifling August heat. Mind your temperature control on milder days. Investing in a smart thermostat will also save energy and money.

17. Give Eco-Friendly Business Cards

If you simply must have a business card, make sure it’s eco-friendly. It helps the environment and serves as a reminder that you actually care about waste (enough to print your business card on cotton fibers!) Double win.

18. Find Social Media Campaigns to Motivate Your Team

If you want to get serious about an environmentally-friendly office, then let your followers know. Much like Boxed Water’s #BetterPlanet campaign, you can spread the word. For every Instagram post featuring Boxed Water using the #BetterPlanet hashtag, Boxed Water plants two trees! At the date of publishing, Boxed Water is responsible for planting almost 800,000 trees!

19. Create a Green Team

Are you tired of being the only person who cares when light switches are left on too long or when useless electronics are plugged in? Does it drive you crazy when the “clean” bathroom is just soaked in bleach?

You’re (probably) not alone. Put feelers out to start a green initiative at your office. Team up with like-minded individuals to make improvements to your office, both big and small.

20. Buy a Plant (or Two!) for Your Desk

Decorate your desk with a cute little plant. It’s a fun way to reuse bottles or paper boxes to grow a little plant. When it gets too big for the office, replant it in your home garden. And—plants translate to more productive, less stressed, and more focused employees. No really, science says so.

21. Consider Your Commute

There is more than one way to get to work. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t always have to be your car.

Consider the options! Can you walk, bike, take public transportation, or carpool to work.

There are so many advantages to walking or biking to work. Hello, it’s exercise! Or if you live in a community with great public transportation, take advantage of it! Just like walking or biking to work, taking public transportation (or even a carpool) allows you to spend time with an audiobook, a good “old-fashioned” book, or some pre-work podcasts. Here are a few of our favorites:

22. Work From Home 

This is something you will need management approval to do. Working from home has many benefits for both employers and employees. Allowing a work from home day not only eliminates carbon emissions from the commute, but also the energy costs of running an office for an entire day.

Want to work from home? Here's how to ask your boss to work from home. 

23. Think About Your Carbon Footprint if You Have to Drive to Work

Consider it.

So you can’t walk to work and you live nowhere near your coworkers. Don’t lose sleep over it. If you simply cannot get to work any other way besides driving, consider other ways you can be more eco-friendly throughout your workweek. Let this list help you make a start!

Saving the Planet at Management Level

Prioritizing the environment will help your mini-environment. Companies who invest in green alternatives are more likely to improve overall company culture.

At the management level, there are many programs and initiatives you can implement in order to improve overall company culture, employee satisfaction levels, and the environment. (Triple whammy.)

Let’s get started.

24. Do an Office-Wide Environmental Audit

Figure out where “green cuts” can be made. Is there a ton of paper trash? Are lights being left on overnight? Do a walk-through at your office to find out where you can improve your eco-friendliness.

25. Offer Eco-Friendly Options for Office (or Work From Home Office) Visitors

Let your prospective clients see for themselves how much you care about the environment. Instead of offering plastic bottles upon arrival, offer Boxed Water instead. 

26. Set Up a Bike Rack

If your employees are biking to work, give them a safe place to lock their bicycles. If they aren’t biking to work *yet*, then providing a bike rack might be just the right incentive

27. Invest in Touchless Faucets

While we are in the bathroom, anyway… have you ever walked into the office bathroom to see someone has left the faucet running? People are just the worst, aren’t they? Invest in touchless faucets to save water (and prevent pesky germs from spreading!

28. Incentivize Public Transportation

Public Transportation is great for the environment. One typical bus can hold about 60 people. Translation: one bus on a single route is potentially taking 60 cars off the road. Offer an incentive for your employees to use public transportation.

Whether you offer a monthly transportation stipend or buy metro passes for your employees, incentivizing public transportation is a great way to make your office greener.

29. Donate or Recycle Old Electronics

This one is pretty straightforward. Don’t throw electronics in the trash. Donate or recycle electronics that are old, broken, or outdated.

30. Invest in Reusable Kitchenware

This might not work if you have 500+ employees. But if you’re a smaller team, consider investing in reusable kitchenware for lunches, work anniversaries, birthdays, and other food-centric events at the office.

31. Buy LED Bulbs

LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting. LED lights also draw less power than a standard fluorescent light, and last up to six times longer than any other type of light. And let’s be real—nothing is less flattering than fluorescent lighting. On all counts—LED is the way.

32. Install Motion Sensors

Do your employees keep forgetting to turn off the bathroom light? Invest in motion sensors to automatically power off lights that aren’t being used. The planet (and your bottom line) will thank you.

33. Support Companies with Green Initiatives

So you’re liking this green company stuff, huh? Partner up with other like-minded companies. Here at Career Contessa, we have partnered with Boxed Water because we believe that every step counts. Even something as small as eliminating plastic bottles in your office will have a huge impact over time.

34. Buy in Bulk

Packaging is the root of all evil. But, seriously, you can reduce a ton of packaging waste by always buying in bulk. In addition, keep track of what supplies your team really needs and tailor your orders to be as low-waste as possible. Brandless even offers a “tree-free” collection of products, making them a more sustainable option.