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Reduce Reuse Recycle Office Signs
Towards a More Environmentally Responsible Workplace
One hardly thinks of the average workplace as a location from which to start an environmental movement. Really, how many employees can even begin to think about conservation or ecological initiatives, when there are deadlines and irate superiors to deal with? Well, this type of thinking is starting to be relegated to the past, when preserving the planet was dismissed as some kind of hippie agenda, and there did not seem to be any tangible data that our bad habits were devastating the world. Today, we are far more aware of the impact that we have had and continue to have on the Earth, and experiencing in full force the brunt of the ravaged world's wrath. Climate change is bringing about natural disasters of increasing intensity and destructive potential. The time has arrived for all of us to be more conscientious about undoing that damage, and doing our part to sustain what we still have.
Consequently, today's workplace is shifting gears towards greater responsibility for the waste material that it produces, and the energy that it routinely wastes as a matter of "necessary" office expense. Offices are notorious for draining electricity from lights that stay on long after they should, too many lights being switched on in the first place, and computers and other electronic equipment that are likewise left on when not in use. The workplace also generates quite a significant amount of trash, mostly waste paper from excessive printouts and unimportant documents, and from the disposable containers and packaging used by employees in the breakroom. These two problems can be solved by resort to policies of energy conservation and recycling, respectively.
Promoting a green workplace requires some vigilance on the part of the policy maker, first by making employees aware of the need to adopt these measures, and then by constant reinforcement through a form of reminder. Apparently, the cheapest and most efficient way to get employees to be more considerate of the environment is through the use of green office signs, such as those that encourage people to "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". In fact, this three-word slogan is excellent for the average office because it embodies the different aspects of any successful workplace eco-friendly program.
"Reduce" stands for a general commitment to use less of resources that are non-renewable or disposable, which includes the aforementioned products that are kept in plastic, and may also involve using less electricity by switching off lights and equipment that are not in use. "Reuse" encompasses substituting disposable products, like plastic bottles and Styrofoam cups, with reusable mugs and drinking containers. It also speaks to the usage of paper with one blank side for drafts or scratch, and a shift towards office supplies that are refillable. Lastly, "Recycle" is the watchword for waste material that must be expended and cannot be reused, so that it can be segregated properly and placed in the proper recycling bin for eventual re-processing and return to circulation. A "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" sign may well be the first salvo in an ongoing campaign to promote a workplace that leaves a far less harmful footprint on our planet.
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