<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Umbra on greening the office]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by mfioretti http://www.grist.org/article/super-powers/ Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:46:56 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/super-powers/1 Use non proprietary software and formats

The Powers That Be at my job have decided to start a Green Initiative... I'm wondering what may be unique to work environments that I'm not thinking of already

switch as soon as possible to OpenOffice and the Opendocument file format for all your office documents. Do the same for email and all the other electronic documents needed in your office.

This will not only save you the license costs of proprietary office software. Above all, you will be finally free from forced periodical software upgrades, which are bad because software pollutes!

Yes, software pollutes. This is explained in detail in a chapter published online of my own book, but the base concept is very short and simple: computer components pollute a lot both when made and when dumped or recycled.

If you use software like Windows or Microsoft Office, which requires a computer upgrade every 2/3 years because it cannot be customized, nor read the latest file format, you will send much more ewaste than necessary to landfills.

If, instead, you switch to file formats which can be read by many different programs, even those which WILL run on older computers; and/or you switch to Linux, which can be tailored to minimize its RAM and hard disk needs, then you will greatly reduce over time the amount of electronics that you need to have manufactured (=pollution and energy waste) or trashed (=more pollution).

Feel free to contact me privately in any moment if you need more explanation on these matters.

Best Regards,

M. Fioretti

]]> Use non proprietary software and formats

The Powers That Be at my job have decided to start a Green Initiative... I'm wondering what may be unique to work environments that I'm not thinking of already

switch as soon as possible to OpenOffice and the Opendocument file format for all your office documents. Do the same for email and all the other electronic documents needed in your office.

This will not only save you the license costs of proprietary office software. Above all, you will be finally free from forced periodical software upgrades, which are bad because software pollutes!

Yes, software pollutes. This is explained in detail in a chapter published online of my own book, but the base concept is very short and simple: computer components pollute a lot both when made and when dumped or recycled.

If you use software like Windows or Microsoft Office, which requires a computer upgrade every 2/3 years because it cannot be customized, nor read the latest file format, you will send much more ewaste than necessary to landfills.

If, instead, you switch to file formats which can be read by many different programs, even those which WILL run on older computers; and/or you switch to Linux, which can be tailored to minimize its RAM and hard disk needs, then you will greatly reduce over time the amount of electronics that you need to have manufactured (=pollution and energy waste) or trashed (=more pollution).

Feel free to contact me privately in any moment if you need more explanation on these matters.

Best Regards,

M. Fioretti

]]> Comment #2 by breebee http://www.grist.org/article/super-powers/ Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:32:15 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/super-powers/2 Greening your office

How exciting to see a company embarking on this path!  My role is all about the "greening" of our operations and here are some tips:

Talk to your procurement department.  How do they evaluate the stuff that is purchased?

See where the company is now so you can benchmark progress.

Write it up in an Office Environmental Management Plan, sectioned out into topics such as Waste, Energy (sub categories of heating and lighting), Procurement (which includes paper and stationery purchasing).

A good publication, very useful:
Green Officiency - Running a Cost Effective Environmentally Aware Office (good for giving you ideas about what should be looked at)

http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/uk/Our-Services/Publications ...

Hope this helps!


]]> Greening your office

How exciting to see a company embarking on this path!  My role is all about the "greening" of our operations and here are some tips:

Talk to your procurement department.  How do they evaluate the stuff that is purchased?

See where the company is now so you can benchmark progress.

Write it up in an Office Environmental Management Plan, sectioned out into topics such as Waste, Energy (sub categories of heating and lighting), Procurement (which includes paper and stationery purchasing).

A good publication, very useful:
Green Officiency - Running a Cost Effective Environmentally Aware Office (good for giving you ideas about what should be looked at)

http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/uk/Our-Services/Publications ...

Hope this helps!


]]> Comment #3 by scarls5 http://www.grist.org/article/super-powers/ Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:25:11 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/super-powers/3 agreed

This is what I do at work, too.  In addition to Umbra's advice, I would say let the committee brainstorm so that they get excited and have some ownership over what you take on.  Include some easy, low-hanging items, like saving paper and fixing the autoflush toilets, so that people see results and feel like they are making a difference.  On the flip side, the group may spend an inordinate amount of time talking about buying recycled post-its, when what they really need to do is stop driving their SUVs.  Let them vent, then do research, use your expertise, and/or get someone who knows the relative impacts of actions to help you prioritize.

Our Action Plan is divided into Transportation, Energy, Waste, Land, Water, and Engagement.  Depending what your company does, most of these categories will work for you.

As breebee notes, a lot of decisions happen in Procurement, so be sure to work closely with them.

Friendly competitions, and free food, never hurt, either.  Really, any experience you have with schools should carry over (except you don't have to paint the recycling bins).

]]> agreed

This is what I do at work, too.  In addition to Umbra's advice, I would say let the committee brainstorm so that they get excited and have some ownership over what you take on.  Include some easy, low-hanging items, like saving paper and fixing the autoflush toilets, so that people see results and feel like they are making a difference.  On the flip side, the group may spend an inordinate amount of time talking about buying recycled post-its, when what they really need to do is stop driving their SUVs.  Let them vent, then do research, use your expertise, and/or get someone who knows the relative impacts of actions to help you prioritize.

Our Action Plan is divided into Transportation, Energy, Waste, Land, Water, and Engagement.  Depending what your company does, most of these categories will work for you.

As breebee notes, a lot of decisions happen in Procurement, so be sure to work closely with them.

Friendly competitions, and free food, never hurt, either.  Really, any experience you have with schools should carry over (except you don't have to paint the recycling bins).

]]>