This Saturday is Earth Hour, where we’re all asked to switch off our lights between 8:30pm and 9:30pm. But Earth Hour is not just about saving electricity one hour a year. Its aim is to spark conversations on issues like climate change, loss of habitat and biodiversity, and inspire initiatives to tackle them.

Here at Nustream we are passionate about protecting the planet and constantly looking at ways we and our eco-conscious customers can minimise our environmental impact.

So what could you do, from your office desk, to make a difference?….

 

 

1.Have a “Green team”.

The best way to get the most out of your eco initiatives is by having a dedicated “Green team”, who can develop fun activities that can motivate staff to make more eco conscious decisions. They can help to both increase awareness, to global initiatives like the earth hour movement, and accomplish more.
Tip: Who doesn’t like a bit of healthy competition? create a challenge chart with eco activities, like bringing your own lunch or walking to work. The person with the most green points at the end of the month, gets a prize!

2. Reduce, reuse and recycle.

Make the green option the easy option by investing in a clear disposal system, in your kitchen and office. Have different colours bins for general, recyclable, and compostable waste, with charts near by to explain what can be recycled.
Tip: Don’t forget one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Having an area to freecycle things we no longer need, but others may, avoids unnecessary waste.

3.Bring in desk plants.

We all know that more plants = more oxygen, but did you know that they’re also proved to lower stress and improve productivity? Introducing something as simple as a desk plant will be good for the soul as well as the environment.
Tip: take advantage of windowsills and grow plants from seed. This gives people a sense of accomplishment as well as increasing well being.

4.Encourage green commuting.

Incentivise your staff to use public transport by providing subsided travel and encourage employees who live near each other to carpool. If your office is in a small town, talk up the benefits of walking or cycling to work, for their own health as well as the environment.

 

5. Go paperless.

Digital transformation allows your team to go paperless, which is a benefit to the environment as well as a solution to the challenges highlighted by the pandemic. A great opportunity to save trees as well as time and money!
Obviously, the greenest option is not printing at all but when printing is unavoidable, you can minimise your environmental impact by making simple changes, like having black and white and doubled sided, as a default settings.
Nustream, also offers a service called PrintReleaf, which converts all business printing back into replanted trees – so you can plant whilst you print!

Sustainability isn’t merely a matter of preference or good PR anymore. We all have the responsibility to save our planet, through every day decisions, from our homes to our offices.

Check out our Green Policy for more ways we reduce our footprint and that of our customers.