Not Green at work

I am amazed by all of the things that we, as a society, waste on a daily basis: When it comes to the environment in specific, it's a lot. Water, energy, paper, etc. And when it doesn't directly touch your pocketbook, it somehow seems to matter less, especially at work.

We are obsessed with meetings, discussions and strategic thinking to make more money for the One. After one of these productive meetings, people often leave the conference room light on, or the light on in their office after leaving for the day. Plus, if the building has natural light coming in from windows, why do we need to have the interior lights running the whole day?

Recycling also seems less important at the office. You're at your cubicle finishing a bottled water, but the recycling bin is on the other side of the room and seems so far away. That reason is enough to lead you to throw the plastic container in the garbage, or to throw a piece of paper that you accidentally printed into the trash can.

Going out, especially driving to get there, wastes a lot of energy, especially in packaging goods. We always get more than we need of plastic utensils and don't think twice about throwing even unused ones in the garbage. This one does directly touch the wallet, and in the end, bringing a bagged lunch or leftovers saves the environment and your money.

Helping the environment is more about stopping the waste and reducing your footprint on the earth; it's a commitment to something greater than yourself--hard to do even if you see something tangible as a result.