How green is your business?

There is more and more pressure being placed on businesses to improve their environmental credentials; these range from government legislation through to tenders that are now asking for proof of your organisation's environmental commitment. It can seem like a lot that needs to be done whilst at the same time trying to ensure that the needs of the business are still being met.

Here at Bluhalo we have started to review our working practices and day to day actions to try and see what we can do to improve our sustainability and reduce the impact that our business has on the environment.

Our plan is to start small and look at the simple actions that will have a positive impact. Listed below are 5 steps we have already taken:

1. One of the easiest things that you can ask your staff to do is to make sure that monitors, photocopiers and other essential office equipment are switched off at the end of the day or when not in use. Did you know that a photocopier left on overnight wastes enough energy to make 5300 A4 copies? Try to keep photocopying and printing to a minimum.

2. Office paperwork. As pointed out above everyone should be encouraged to print and photocopy less. However there is no such thing as the paperless office so by having recycling points close to printer areas we are encouraging our staff use these for paper waste. If you have confidential information then shred it beforehand as it can still be recycled.

3. Take the stairs. Not only does it provide you with a quick work out it is also environmentally friendly because the average lift produces 4 tonnes of CO2 and 5,000 kwh per year.

4. Traffic and cars. This always seems to be at the forefront of the news each day and whilst we recognise that we will not be able to have a completely car free office, we do support those who choose alternative transport methods.

Our new office location is ideally suited for this as a free shuttle service is provided to and from both of Farnborough's train stations.A bike hire service is also at The Hub and will be at the train stations soon. Car sharing is also encouraged within the business and those employees who do car share on a regular basis are given priority on car parking spaces at the office.

5. Plants. It may seem that plants and flowers are often put in offices to break up plain walls and decor but they are also positive for the environment by purifying the air around us exchanging the CO2 we breathe out for oxygen. There are also some studies that suggest they can help reduce allergies by attracting dust particles. They also look pretty and some companies have claimed that they have increased employees reaction times!

Check back soon for more updates as Bluhalo starts to look at longer term issues such as planning, carbon footprinting, policies and good practice.