Hints & Tips

By following some of these simple tips you could start doing your bit for the environment and your carbon footprint almost immediately.

Think before you print!
- Before hitting that print button, think twice. Do you really need it on paper? Can you manage just as well by keeping it on screen?
- If you do need to print the email, cut down on wastage. Use the printer settings to ensure that you are only printing the pages you need, and you are using both sides (duplexing) where possible.
- Ask your IT department (or us if we look after your IT requirements!) to put the "Think before you print" message at the bottom of e-mails you send. There is a nice little symbol you can use to place before this message which is achieved by using the font "Webdings" and the 'P' key and changing the colour to Green. You may also need to increase the font size a little.

E-Mail, Don't Fax!

Where possible consider emailing clients, colleagues or other companies instead of faxing. These faxes waste thousands of pages of paper every year.
You can turn on 'Read' and 'Delivery' receipts on e-mail if you require indiciation of the e-mail being received by the contact.
Fax's tend to go 'missing' or get delayed between the fax machine and the intended receipient. E-mails are 99.99% likely to go directly where they are intednded; and be stored if the contact is not available.

Many people are fond of the sticky memo notes to tell colleagues when they have a meeting, or missed a call. Or even to leave a message for a colleague. Stop!
Embrace technolgy within your office, use notes function on your PC, send an e-mail, and use online/shared calendars.
Use PC based Sticky Notes program - available Free without limitations from Download.com here (We accept no liability for content hosted on other websites. Link provided for convenience)

At lunch times, before you pop out try to remember to turn your monitor off - it only takes a second to do, but each week saves on 5 hours wasted electricity. 10 in your office? Thats 50 hours worth. Each year thats around 12,000 hours burning a hole in the finance pocket
Before you head home for the day, turn off your computer, monitor and any local printers. It may take a little longer to log in the next day, but will save electricity and make sures your PC doesn't encounter any memory issues. Computers left on over night add around an extra 17% to your company's energy bills

Don't leave your office lights on at night. Put the office lights on a timer, or even better, try and persuade your company to move to motion sensitive light switches so they only go on if there is movement. It is estimated that the company can cut energy use by a fifth by doing this.

Car sharing schemes allow you to share vehicles for some journeys - for example with a work colleage who lives close to your home.
Benefits include improved air quality and lower carbon emissions due to reduced traffic, reduced travel costs for each person, shorter journey due to fewer cars on the road and an increased chance of bagging a parking space!
In March 2008, the UK's first motorway car share was opened, linking southbound M606 near Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds.
Car sharing lanes are seperate motorway lanes that are for cars with one or more passengers. The government plans to open more of these on some of Britain's busiest roads.