Greening a personal work space

It’s not hard to create a personal green haven at your desk. Here are some simple steps to help reate a more eco-friendly work environment. Start with the obvious Begin by going green, literally. Whether it’s a lush potted jungle or a single plant, living foliage is one of the best ways of making the workplace eco-friendly. It doesn’t just beautify, it also removes airborne contaminants, as well as balancing humidity and decreasing office noise and stress levels. The best plants to use are Areca, Lady, and Bamboo Palms; Rubber Plant, Dragon Plant, English Ivy, Dwarf Date Palm, Boston Fern and Peace Lily. Save your energy Especially if you have co-workers, lead by example. Lower your carbon emissions and energy expenses by making personal eco-friendly choices. Set your computer to switch to energy-saving modes - not just your screensaver - when you’re not using it. Standby mode reduces monitor and computer power use to 1-3 watts each, wakes up in seconds, and saves $25-$75 per computer annually. Hibernate mode is like standby mode, but lengthens wakeup time to 20+ seconds, and saves your work if there is a power loss. Turning off your monitor reduces its power use to 1-3 watts, and saves about $12 - $35 annually. When you leave your desk for the day, turn off peripherals (printers, speakers, etc.) and “vampire” energy users (cell phone and PDA chargers, etc.). New, smarter surge protectors let you leave some key components turned on while you power others off based on which socket on the strip the device is plugged into. Some surge protectors even come with a remote to make it easy on people who might have their surge protector behind their desk where it’s difficult to reach. You can further cut your energy usage if you switch to a laptop rather than a desktop computer. While a desktop can use 120 watts, plus its 80-watt CRT screen, a powerful notebook uses just 30 watts, including its LCD screen - that’s a 50 percent to 80 percent savings. And finally, use sunlight or task lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs at your desk if possible. Develop sustainable habits Want a shock? Do a personal waste audit and log every piece of trash you throw out for a week. Then start making changes. Drink your morning coffee from a mug, and drink your water from a glass or a reusable stainless steel water bottle. Pack your lunches in a reusable bag, and use reusable sandwich wrap, flatware, and snack bags instead of the disposable plastic options. Think before you print. Consider whether or not you really need a paper copy. If you do, print double sided, or two pages to a side (called “N-up”) if your eyes are good.