Greening the Washington Environmental Council office

Blog Post From the Washington Environmental Council -- It's a conversation being held in offices around the country - what can we do to make our operations more environmentally-friendly? At Washington Environmental Council, our discussion started when Executive Director Joan Crooks sat on a panel for Seattle Business Magazine's Green Washington Awards, which recognized companies, non-profits and government agencies innovating to sustain our environment.

After judging, she came back and asked staff members for ideas on how to make our office practices more sustainable. Once we started brainstorming, we realized that there was a lot we could be doing better. Some of the ideas were simple, like creating a scrap paper box for notepaper. Others will take more time, such as figuring out how we can continue to keep our members active and informed, while using less paper and resources.

One step we've taken is switching from four printed newsletters a year to three. We're also asking all members who don't already receive emails from us, to go to our website (wecprotects.org) and sign up so we can keep them up to date electronically. Below are a few more simple ideas for getting started on greening your office.

Location and commuting

WEC had a head start on environmentally-friendly practices due to our location in downtown Seattle. Close to our office, there's easy access to buses, ferries, and light rail. And our staff commutes by taking the bus, biking, walking, or carpooling. While location isn't something that's easily changed, supporting staff in making smart transportation

choices can be simpler. Options range from offering subsidized bus passes to staff members or getting a bicycle repair kit to help out bike commuters.

Talk to your building manager

Sometimes things aren't done in the most sustainable manner just because no one has ever asked. Your building manager can be a great resource and can help make change on a building-wide basis. Things to ask about range from fixing leaky windows to keep heat in and energy use down to adding compost collection so food scraps don't head to the landfill.

Save resources and money

Often when you make sustainable choices, you end up saving money. We replaced our old office water system of large bottles of water with a system that utilizes and filters water from the municipal source. This simple change saves WEC hundreds of dollars a year. We also switched all staff printers to automatically print double sided, decreasing the amount of paper we have to buy.

We're committed to continuing to figure out how to make our operations more sustainable, and sharing the most useful tips with others. We've made some good progress, but we know there's still a lot to be done.