Green (office) Guru

I work at a medium-sized design law firm. Our office uses a lot of paper. How can I help my boss understand the benefits of using recycled paper?

Numbers talk, so we think it best start the conversation there. To calculate the environmental costs of the virgin paper you are using, plug in your usage to the Paper Calculator (www.papercalculator.org). A case of 8.5 x 11” paper weighs about 50lbs. You can compare the differences between different levels of recycled content as well. 

Remember the 3 R’s? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We propose a 4th R – rethink. The second set of numbers have to do with costs. Recycled paper does cost a bit more. What would the cost be to transition the office to a greener paper? First consider the paper you can save by rethinking some of the business processes. Are there some documents that can be printed double-sided? Are there instances where documents could be shared electronically? Estimate the possible reductions and include those numbers in your cost analysis.

What types of considerations should I make when selecting “green” products?

When making purchasing decisions, it pays to do a little homework. Consider the following:

Is the product less hazardous?
Is it reusable or more durable?
Is it made from recycled materials? Do we really need to buy a virgin product when the recycled version is just as good?
What happens to the product at the end of its life? Can it be recycled?
Does it conserve energy or water?
Is it made from renewable plant-based raw materials?

I am interested in starting a Green Team. There is so much to learn and I don’t have a lot of time. Where should I start?