How to reduce office electric consumption

We follow 3 simple rules : 1) while I am away, I keep all my electrical items off. 2) I put my desk right angles to the window to make the best use of natural light and artificial lighting is partially avoided. 3) I am replacing all my bulbs (incandescent) lamps by low consumption ones. Namely: a) the mode of computers is economical, but still uses about 30% of energy, work better off the computer as much as possible. b) an ink-jet printer consumes 5 times less than a laser printer. c) for the reproduction of large quantities of documents, copies consumes less energy.

Care of the lifecycle of each product

The end product life is the ultimate stage where once worn out, it becomes a waste. The fact that the product is recovered and recycled or not, changes the ecological balance of each product. The environmental impact of property is the sum of the impacts that occur at all stages of its life cycle and not just the consequence of the mere use that we have done. Choose the origin of a product and its manufacturing method, the appropriate use and ensure its recovery or treatment after use are all assets to preserve the life of our beautiful blue planet.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Faced with over-consumption, citizens and businesses must change their habits. At our office we do:
1) Reduced requirements for circular economy (reduce, reuse, recycle). The responsible use of our paper, 1 of our consumers is important: it is "high quality 100% recycled and 100% chlorine free" (the seller Bruneau 4.35 ream). Also we advise at the end of our email messages: "Avoid PRINT emails. If necessary, use 100% recycled paper, paper already printed or paper bleached without chlorine (TCF): to save the water, energy and our resources. "
2) Substitution of renewable resources on a human scale and clean, thanks to new materials derived from photosynthesis (biomaterials, agromaterials): ex. our coffee filters made from unbleached fibers.
3) Sort the office: organic waste, paper, cardboard, glass bottles.

Our hot drinks at the office

One of the pillars of sustainable development is biodiversity. To remember it, we have to think about not drinking the same thing every day!. Our drinks daily are tap water, arabica coffee, black tea, green tea, rooibos tea, stevia fresh herb, ayurvedic herbal tea, and our favorite in the morning, mate.

What mugs, glass or cup in the office?

It would be better to exclude cutlery / glasses / cups with a single use to follow the concept of circular consumption: reduce, reuse, recycle. For our drinks we thermos-cups (see photo) to keep our drinks for 3 to 4 hours. The green liquid dishwasher is easy to find in the trade in France.

Energy consumption

In 2006, offices (private and public combined) in France represented approximately 189 million m2. The average primary energy of an office building around ep 280 kWh / m2 / year - which corresponds to the class E on the energy label building. To check your level of energy performance, you can request a voluntary ECD. More information: www.ademe.fr / building.

Commuting home to work

Journeys home to work accounts for 30% of the use of road transport. Transport together account for 57% of global consumption of oil. The average distance traveled each year in France, went to his workplace, is 6600km, or 1413kg of CO ² / (the distance between Paris-Chicago ....). The nearest gas emissions greenhouse business office is, in general, neither the heating or office. These are the trips and links home - work. Three-quarters of trips and home-work trips are by car, with an occupancy rate of close to 1. All ideas eco-friendly transportation to work are a study! In Paris, the Vélib and transport facilities should be given!

The air conditioning in office

The average energy required to heat a person at the office in France is 141 kWh (or 25 kg of CO2) per year per square meter. We have lowered the temperature of 2 ° C in winter, we have no air conditioning in summer, and this allows us to arrive in 2009 to a consumption 39kWh/an/m ², almost a quarter of the average France is only 6.91 kg of CO ² / m² / year.

Hardware office

If you want to better understand and mitigate the impact of your material
computing environment, visit www.ecoinfo.cnrs.fr Attached photo of Wooden USB Keys offered by Max Havelaar France. The computer wood is not yet ... but we can always improve.

Paper is our first used product

The average consumption of paper per person in the office in France is 30 reams or 75kg/an. Through our goals and results for 3 years, our office will arrive in 2009 to an average paper consumption per person of 17.5 kg / year, almost 5 times less than the average in France!

The guide of eco-friendly office for business

To be effective, we need a method, knowledge bases and tools. Therefore, after editing the guide government economic officials and a guide for eco-friendly communities, ADEME joined the MEDEF to achieve a comprehensive guide. More info: http://www.bureau-ecoresponsable.com/le-guide-du-bureau
Attached photo of some hygiene products certified

Prevention and waste management

It is estimated that an average worker produces each year at his workplace about 100 kg of waste, 80 kg in the form of paper and cartons (20 reams / year / person). To help you reduce your consumption of paper it takes its waste and targets. In our case, we had a consumption of 22,000 sheets / year in 2007 to 18,000 sheets in 2008. Our goal in 2009 is to consume a maximum of 14,000 sheets.