Zero Discrimination Day 2023: Everything you need to know

In many offices, the lights are on even at night when the employees have left the workplace. It leads to an enormous electric wastage on an yearly basis, and it is an extremely easy problem to tackle. Opting for motion sensor lights in corridors and passages can help those who are working late, and recruiting a person who can switch off all the lights at night (or automating that process) can save tremendous amount of electricity.

In big offices, canteens are responsible for a lot of food wastage that can be easily avoided if the excess unused food is donated to the poor daily. It is imperative that every morsel of food is either eaten or recycled. There should be a culture that encourages employees to not waste any food when they eat. Apart from that, canteen staff should aim for zero food waste policy.

While companies should design workplaces that are greener, individual employees too should be encouraged to get a plant for their desk. Desk plants help in more ways than we know. They not only improve concentration and reduce stress but also helps the environment by enhancing air quality and drowning out the din of workplace chatter, thereby cutting down on sound pollution.

Every office creates a considerable amount of paper waste that's avoidable. Take all your communication online, and recycle the paper that still comes in from vendors, clients and other sources. Make all documentation digital and opt for online financial transaction that doesn't leave behind a paper trail. This step will definitely help offices reduce their greenhouse gas emission.

If it isn't possible for an office to go entirely paperless, it should at least cut down on the amount of paper it uses every day. The easiest way to do so is to put some paper usage guidelines in place. To begin with, double sided printing should be made compulsory to avoid paper wastage, and recycled papers should be used for printing.

The pandemic has changed how we work and while some companies are too old-schooled to embrace work from home with an open heart, it is definitely a more sustainable choice as it does away with travel for many employees, and also saves up on the extra electricity, water and other energies that would be required if everyone was going to office daily. Similarly, for smaller businesses, it is prudent (environmentally at least) to opt for a co-working space instead of keeping an office, and meeting only for important discussions, while functioning in an WFH mode.

From plastic tumblers, straws and bowls in canteens to plastic cups at coffee stations, many companies opt for plastic cutlery because it is the cheaper option. However, that should be an absolute no-no. The least that a company can do to make its workplace more sustainable is to avail eco-friendly cutlery. It has to be remembered that most plastic cutlery is made of single use plastic which is the worst form of plastic waste and non biodegradable. Therefore, it should be avoided at all cost.

If companies can inculcate a culture of waste sorting in office spaces it not only helps making their employees more environmentally conscious, but also ensures that right waste gets recycled instead of being dumped in landfills, and also prevent the mixing of waste that may endanger the soil. It is an easy thing to choose the right bin, but it has far-reaching environmental impact.

Most offices buy stationary in bulk (which is a good practice) and often opt for cheapest products which are harmful for the environment. However, if they choose a slightly more expensive option and opt for eco-friendly office supplies they help the environment in a big way by bringing down the demand of wood, and saving gallons of water and electricity used to produce the cheap office supplies.