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How to: make your office greener

Your office is about as green as a sputtering chimney. It’s got the energy efficiency of a recalled Volkswagen and the fire safety of polystyrene in a bonfire. Where others have been optimising their buildings, you’re still stuck in the industrial age. You’re the eco-equivalent of a Neanderthal, furrowing your brow at the concept of solar panels.

While you might assume that being environmentally friendly can’t help your business, you’d be dead wrong. With a green enterprise, you’ll have great PR, giving you a boost in profits from clients inclined to support eco-friendliness.

To see the potential market for green goods, you only have to look at current marketing trends. Endless food ads boast of being organic and natural. Cereal bars are surrounded by butterflies and countryside. “Natural” is really just a synonym for “green”.

There’s an appetite for companies that take the environment seriously – and you can help tap into that market by making your workplace as safe and eco-friendly as possible.

So what can you do?

Fighting fire

The danger of fire might be pretty low on your list of concerns in business, but it only takes one fire in a lifetime to ravage your entire building – and the cost of refurbishment could shut your businesses’ doors, as well as sending noxious gases into the atmosphere.

So fire protection should be one of your top priorities, no matter what the cost.

We’d recommend Durasteel, a blast-proof surface that can contain flames for up to four hours, giving you plenty of time to contact the emergency services before smoke funnels into the atmosphere.

Plants galore

Plants are the lifeblood of the planet, so why shouldn’t you have a few dotted around your workplace? They can give your office a spot of pizzazz, giving clients and members of staff a colourful treat when they walk through your doors.

The stress-relieving effect of plants can’t be underestimated. This is in part thanks to a neat process known as photosynthesis, in which plants ‘breathe in’ carbon dioxide and ‘breathe out’ oxygen, off-setting corrosive air in your workplace.

You don’t need to invest in a greenhouse, but one or two plants could mean the difference between a stuffy workplace and a green office.

Get employees on board

No eco-effort is easy, but it’d be a lot simpler when you know your staff are behind you. There might be a few cynical people in your ranks, so put their minds at ease by detailing the outcome of your green policies, both from a financial and a moral perspective. You’ll soon win your workers over.