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Reduce, reuse, and recycle office products
Do more - and get recognized for it
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Commuting
Commute for the environment 
Start a carpool or walk, bike, or use mass transportation instead of driving. Also, encourage your employer to be a "Best Workplace for Commuters" (www.bwc.gov). Finally, check out how every trip you take can affect air quality at It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air (www.italladdsup.gov/drivers/index.asp).
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Reduce energy use
- Use Energy Star's energy-efficient office products www.energystar.gov Make sure that you turn on the energy saving features.
- Turn off your computer monitor, printers, copy machines, and the lights when they are not being used.
- If possible, take the stairs instead of using the elevator.
- Use high-efficiency fluorescent lighting or natural light (see http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_workplace/)
- Prepare for winter - Five steps can help businesses identify energy savings and help establish an energy management strategy.
Become a Green Power Partner. Green Power Partners are replacing significant portions of the electricity they use with green power. By buying green power, Partners choose to support power sources that improve the environment.
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Reduce, reuse, and recycle office products
- Small business guides for preventing waste. Buy recycled content, remanufactured, and recyclable office products, and recycle them when appropriate (including e-cycling electronics). At a minimum, buy recycled paper and recycle it again.
- Clean out your files and recycle the papers you no longer need. Many organizations sponsor cleaning weeks; check with your office management staff.
- Use spell check and proofread before you print or copy. Print double sided whenever possible. Minimize the amount of paper you use.
- Buy reusable office supplies instead of disposable supplies.
- Set up an area to store and exchange reusable office supplies, such as binders
- Recycle fluorescent bulbs properly to prevent hazardous mercury from entering the environment.
Use environmentally preferable cleaning supplies In addition to these items, check At the Workplace for more information whether you are in an office, on a farm, and other places.
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How do I manage electronic equipment replacement? The Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) is a voluntary partnership program that encourages federal facilities and agencies to produce greener electronic products, reduce impacts of electronic products during use, and to manage obsolete electronics in an environmentally safe way. For more information: |
Use water more efficiently
Water-saving techniques can save money, and divert less water from our rivers, bays, and estuaries which help keep the environment healthy. They can also reduce water and wastewater treatment costs and the amount of energy used to treat, pump, and heat water. Facility managers are finding that water efficiency programs are a cost-effective way to reduce operating costs. Saving water also means saving costs for electric power, gas, chemicals, and wastewater disposal.
Manufacturers design and produce innovative water-efficient products that earn the WaterSense label by meeting or exceeding EPA criteria for efficiency and performance in specific product categories.
Retailers and distributors bring WaterSense labeled products from manufacturers to consumers.
Do more - and get recognized for it
Apply green building principles to your office buildings - they affect natural resources, land use, energy use, worker and public health, and community well being. Green Building sustainable principles lead to building in greater harmony with the environment, consciously sustaining and renewing natural resources.
Apply for membership in Performance Track - EPA's Performance Track is a voluntary partnership program that recognizes and rewards facilities that consistently exceed regulatory requirements, work closely with their communities, and excel in protecting the environment and public health.
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How can my company promote environmental
stewardship?
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How can my company adopt an Environmental Management System? |
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How is the US EPA a good environmental steward? |