P2 at work

P2 doesn't stop at home. Most of us spend a third of our lives at work where pollution prevention opportunities abound.

Start an office recycling program. Collect paper, cardboard, plastics, and metals. Recycling one ton of paper saves 683 gallons of oil, 4200 kilowatt-hours of electricity, 7000 gallons of water, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 17 trees.
Use double-sided photocopies whenever possible, reducing waste by 50%. Cut-up and reuse single sided copies as note pads.
Have empty toner cartridges refilled and reused.
If your office has email, use it for memos and other documents that would normally be printed.
When purchasing cleaning supplies, buy as little as possible and use nontoxic alternatives.
Buy products that contain recycled materials and a minimum of packaging. Give preference to suppliers and contractors that use environmentally preferable materials and methods.
Turn off lights when you leave the room to save energy and money. A quarter of the energy generated in the U.S. is used for lighting.
Use coffee mugs instead of disposable paper or plastic cups. Encourage employees to bring their lunches in refillable/reusable containers.
Install motion detectors to turn off lights when no one is present.
Use ink-jet printers instead of laser printers. Laser printers use thirty times more electricity than ink-jet printers.
Avoid using pesticides whenever possible.
Install hand driers in restrooms to reduce solid waste.
Encourage car-pooling, using mass-transit (such as busses), and bicycle transportation among employees.