by Shauna Cade
I owe my environmentalist nature to my slightly eccentric first-grade teacher. I vividly remember her shaking a tambourine and chanting "Recycle, Reduce, Reuse" as we planted trees in the school grounds and watched cartoon videos on the importance of conserving water when we brush our teeth.
Today, environmental conscientiousness has expanded eco-friendly efforts in every aspect of life, including work: the greening trend has gone ‘9-to-5’. Beyond recycled printer paper, there are new ways to get the whole office going green in style. So in honour of Earth Day, here are my top four picks for green office items*:
1. Aeron Chair by Herman Miller
This chair gets top marks for comfort and environmental-friendliness. Made of 62% recycled materials and 94% recyclable itself, this chair is GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality certified, which means it’s chemical and particle emissions meet acceptable indoor air quality pollutant guidelines and standards by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (an industry-independent, non-profit organization).
2. Apple Mac Pro, One 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Xeon
While there are some great green laptops available, I think a desktop is still more of a necessity in an office setting. They are easier to upgrade and last much longer with generally larger hard drives for better office functionality. This new desktop from Apple is 90 percent reusable/recyclable and is the highest-rated Mac by EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool), receiving a gold rating in March of 2009. (To achieve gold status, the product must meet 23 required standards as well as at least 75% of optional criteria.) Standards include energy performance consider the manufacturer’s environmental policies and management systems.
3. If you are more of a PC fan, the HP rp5700 Business Desktop PC ENERGY STAR is 95 percent recyclable and is the first of its kind to receive an EPEAT gold rating.
4. The InModern Linear Desk
This desk is made from 100% renewable Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)/Rainforest Alliance-Certified SmartWood with eco-friendly UV finishes that minimize volatile organic compounds and indoor air pollution. It’s also formaldehyde-free and comes in non-toxic water-based stains. In an effort to reduce packaging and waste, the pieces are shipped flat and the entire desk can be assembled in seconds with InModern’s patented no-tools assembly method.
If you’re in the market for some new and greener office items, don’t forget to recycle or reuse your old ones. The local Freecycle network is a great way to give back to the community and keep items out of the landfill. Green Solutions North America is another organization doing it's part to help offices reuse. Read about one of their environmental re-vamps in this February Women's Post article.
*Okay, so Leonardo DiCaprio is not exactly a favourite office item, but I do believe that the actor-turned-environmental crusader would applaud my efforts.
Comments
Post new comment