Show Management is taking on a company wide challenge of going “Green” in the workplace.   Little things can make a huge impact not only among energy and company supply bills, but more importantly, taking steps to help our planet earth.  Being involved in the boating industry and having an industry wide respect and love for getting out on the water, it is up to us to keep it clean for our generation and many more to come. Some of the steps are as easy as turning off your monitors at night while others require more planning like carpooling to work.  These are some of the steps Show Management is taking and we encourage our marine industry family to join in.

Saving Energy at work

Green your own work space
Start by setting your computer or laptop to sleep or hibernation mode after 15 minutes of not being used.  Most importantly turn your computer completely off at the end of the work day.  When it is time for a computer upgrade, switch to a laptop which uses 80% less energy than a desktop computer.   Also recycle your old computer and you can receive incentives from your local vendors.  Dell and Sony for example offer free shipping or trade in credit towards new purchases when you recycle your old computer.

Green your travel
The best option is to telecommunicate with video conferencing, instant messaging, conference calls and online collaboration.  For most professionals this is out of the question but some days it may apply… some is better than none. 
If you live close to the office, get outside and bike, rollerblade, or walk this summer to work.  Another suggestion is to carpool with people in your area.  If you are not neighbors with someone from the office, find a mutual place to meet and drive together.  Other alternatives are to purchase an electric or hybrid vehicle or switch your work hours from five eight hour days to four ten hour days.  Finally when going out to lunch during the work day, invite other co-workers to join in and carpool.  

Green Digital
The amount of paper wasted by the corporate world each year in the U.S. is astonishing!  A fax machine is one of the top sources of wasted paper.  Try switching to a fax modem which sends and receives documents paperless.  Another suggestion is to use electronic versions of forms online for your company and read your e-mails and letters electronically instead of printing them out.  When having team meetings, send documents electronically instead of giving everyone a hard copy.  Storing files on your laptop saves money and space.

Green your Printer and Copier
Number one paper requirement to go green: use 100% post-consumer recycled paper.  When deciding whether to print or copy, use the draft mode on your printer or copier and make double sided printing or copying is your default setting.  Place recycle boxes next to each printer, copier and in each office so employees can drop unwanted papers in.  Environmentally friendly software is also available, check out greenprint.com.

See the Light
Best source of light is natural light.  It brightens the office and increases productivity amongst employees.  When natural light is not available try switching to energy efficient light bulbs for example LEDs or compact fluorescent bulbs. Switch off unnecessary lights around the workplace especially un-used conference rooms, offices and storage rooms.  These easy and efficient suggestions will make your CFO happy by cutting energy bills as well.  For our show sites, Show Management Electric has been phasing out quartz lighting and has switched to more energy efficient high intensity discharge (HID) Lighting. Thermostats have been installed on the AC units in our tents and we reduce our loads once the show closes each day.

Got Plants?
Do you have plants in your office? Are they real or fake?  Fake plants are hassle free but ineffective.  Real plants improve the quality of air inside and create a more inviting atmosphere for employees and visitors.  Plants serve as a natural defense to some contaminants found in older building’s carpets and walls, this will assist in keeping your employee sick days to a minimum.

Re-Use 
Toss out the Styrofoam cups and plastic utensils from your company’s kitchen/break room.  Provide reusable china, utensils and cups or encourage staff to bring their own.  Another suggestion is to encourage office staff to bring lunch in reusable containers and reusable bags.  Buy your staff a thank you or Christmas coffee mug with your company logo and have extra on hand for visitor’s.  This is also a great way to market your business in an easy and cost effective way.

Shout it out!!
Let other companies know that you are taking an initiative of an eco-friendly office.  Add a tag line at the end of your emails “Please think green before printing this email”.  Remember that small things add up in a big way.  Even if you are a small company recycling your paper, ten small companies can equal one large one.  And if your company cannot incorporate all ideas, implement some of the suggestions and fight for a clean planet earth and its beautiful oceans.  

Let us know what you company is doing to cut down on your carbon cloud.  Send us your story and any ideas to marketing@showmanagement.com and see if it gets published in our next newsletter.