Ideal Bite

Spending more time at the office than at your own home?

02.27.2006

Submitted by idealbite on Mon, 02/27/2006 - 6:00pm.

The Bite:

Sustainable office products and practices make good business sense: they cut costs and keep both workers and the planet happy and productive.

The Benefits:

Reduce health hazards and increase worker productivity by purchasing furniture, carpeting, paint, and cleaning supplies that contain few or no chemicals. Nearly 60% of the population suffers from chemical sensitivity – bad news for companies because off-gassing chemicals cause increased absenteeism and health costs.
Purchase bulk, reusable, and energy efficient products to cut down on packaging and cost. Replace disposable items, such as cutlery and cups, with reusable ones. To conserve energy, use sleep or stand-by features on computers and photocopiers (and unplug them when possible, as ‘sleep mode’ still uses energy.)
Recycle and purchase recycled products. The average office employee goes through 10,000 sheets of paper annually. Look for paper products with recycled content. And of course use double-sided printing.

Personally Speaking:

Heather keeps the box that the Ideal Bite letterhead paper (recycled paper from New Leaf – see below) came in right next to her printer, so when she receives mail with one-sided printing, she collects it in the box and uses the other side to feed her printer for internal drafts.

Wanna Try:

Steelcase Metro Line – stylish, (PVC)-free components for open plan and private offices, free of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and produce no off-gassing.
Green Earth Office Supply – complete line of sustainable office products including kitchenette and bathroom supplies.
Dolphin Blue – recycled paper products, remanufactured toner cartridges, refurbished printers, and recycled steel filing cabinets.
New Leaf Paper – competitively priced paper with high post-consumer waste content, chlorine free bleaching, and non-wood fibers.

Cocktail Fact

It takes 70% less energy to produce a ton of paper from recycled paper than from trees.

Bang For The Bite

If 10,000 Biters switched from 0 to 100% Post-Consumer recycled office paper for one year, the collective annual impact is equivalent to taking 230 cars off the road for a year.

0 comments