OFFICE
WORKERS
Printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper
OFFICE WORKERS
10 Easy Actions to Save Water
Water is a precious resource that our community is
working hard to safeguard for the future. Help your
workplace reap the many rewards of water saving.
• Get informed.
Download the Water Efficiency:
Perth Commercial Office
Buildings report from
perth.wa.gov.au/web/Council/
Environment/Water/
• Water friendly fit out.
When renovating, encourage your
employer to opt for water efficient
appliances like dual flush toilets,
and even try out waterless urinals
for super savings.
• Understand your
workplace water use.
Ask your employer about
engaging a consultant to
identify personalised water
saving opportunities.
• Shower efficiency.
If your workplace bathrooms
boast showers, ask to have water
efficient shower heads installed to
save 20 to 60 litres per shower!
• Fix leaks.
Display posters with a phone
number to call to report a leak
so that your workplace can be
ready to call for repairs.
• Lower tap flow.
For a small investment your
workplace can reduce excess
tap water flow and save money
in the long run by installing flow
restrictors in sinks.
• Display waterwise posters.
Get creative with waterwise
posters to prompt water saving
behaviour in bathrooms and
kitchens.
• Keep your air-con in check.
Talk to building management
to ensure bleed rates, drift and
conductivity are set correctly to
reduce excess water use.
• Wash cars efficiently.
Recommend a local car wash
with water reuse systems for fleet
vehicles, and encourage colleagues
to do the same at home.
• Take and share credit.
Celebrate water wise successes
together with intranet notifications,
posters, and announcements at
meetings.
Live, work and play more sustainably.
Share ideas at www.ecohub.perth.wa.gov.au
OFFICE
WORKERS
Printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper
OFFICE WORKERS
10 Easy Actions to Reduce Waste
Cutting back on waste can have the most positive
environmental impacts, so reduce, reuse, and recycle
your way to an environmentally friendly workplace.
• Reduce.
Start by using less paper –
this is 50% of office waste so
imagine how much could be
saved by editing digitally and
printing double sided!
• Buy recycled.
The best office paper is recycled,
FSC certified, and chlorine free;
think outside the cardboard box
too with furniture and equipment
made from recycled materials.
• Recycle correctly.
• Reuse. Recycle fluorescent lights,
Turn paper scraps into notepads,
batteries and other recyclable
stick new labels over old files, and
hazardous waste correctly so
get creative – upcycle scraps into
that they don’t end up in landfill.
festive decorations for the office.
Businessrecycling.com.au has tips
• Refill.
on how to recycle these items.
If your workplace printer uses
refillable cartridges, hold a toner- • Collect recycling.
Find out how to offer collections
refill-demonstration morning tea
of household recyclables at
to encourage reuse.
businessrecycling.com.au.
• Recycle.
• Re-cup.
Investigate recycling options
Encourage colleagues to bring
beyond paper and cardboard –
reuseable water bottles and
check out the Zero Waste WA or
coffee cups to save tonnes of
Planet Ark websites for ideas.
waste, water, and greenhouse
gas emissions.
• Recycle e-waste.
There are so many options –
• Cater correctly.
charity reuse organisations,
Each 1kg of food waste saved from
e-waste drop-off, and
landfill saves 1kg of greenhouse
e-waste pick up services.
gas emissions so order less, and
Visit businessrecycling.com.au
compost the rest!
Live, work and play more sustainably.
Share ideas at www.ecohub.perth.wa.gov.au
OFFICE
WORKERS
Printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper
OFFICE WORKERS
10 Easy Actions to Care for
the City Environment
Perth is the capital of the Southwest Australia Biodiversity Hotspot.
Make the most of its natural beauty while safeguarding its future.
• Get a team on board. Start a Green Team in
your workplace; visit
ecohub.perth.wa.gov.au for
some tips on starting out.
• Shop and eat local.
Support local sustainable
businesses and food growers
doing their bit to protect the
environment.
• Go greener.
Liven up your workplace indoor
environment with plants; absorb
toxins, increase wellness and
therefore productivity, even
reduce the load on the A-C!
• Get involved!
Get a group of colleagues
together and volunteer for a
local community group; visit
ecohub.perth.wa.gov.au for
contacts.
• Shop and eat ethically.
Think about the impact of your
tea, coffee, and other purchases • Enjoy our city environment.
on the people and environments
Why not spend your lunch break
producing your products.
under a shady tree in one of the
city’s parks?
• Clean green.
Do your workplace cleaners use • Share the environment.
biodegradable products that are
Share your newfound appreciation
free of toxins or do they supply
for the city parks; make your next
recycled toilet paper?
meeting a walking meeting out in
the sunshine.
• Understand climate change.
Take a little time to research
• Help the community care for
how Perth’s climate is changing
the city’s environment.
and share this information with
Start small by picking up a piece
colleagues so we can all prepare
of litter on your next walk, or
and adapt.
organise a crew for Clean Up
Australia Day.
Live, work and play more sustainably.
Share ideas at www.ecohub.perth.wa.gov.au
OFFICE
WORKERS
Printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper
OFFICE WORKERS
10 Easy Actions to Move Sustainably
Reducing the environmental impact of travel to, from,
and for work can yield the biggest reduction in workplace
carbon footprints. Try these sustainable transport tips.
• Get informed. Read up about being a
TravelSmart Workplace at
www.transport.wa.gov.au/
travelsmart.
• Leave the car at home.
Take public transport to save
around 5kg of CO2-e emissions
per 15km journey.
• Car pool.
Start up a car pooling register
for those not close to public
transport to increase the
people-moving efficiency of
one car’s emissions.
• Walk to work.
Help colleagues drop their
carbon emissions and a few
pounds: suggest walking to work
to clock up the recommended
10,000 steps a day.
• Cycle instead.
Encourage colleagues with this
statistic: switching one 10km
journey to the bike each week
will save over 300kg of CO2-e
emissions a year!
• Travel together to meetings.
Organise with colleagues to travel
together to external meetings.
• Offer alternatives to the car.
Encourage your workplace to offer
bikes or public transport vouchers
for travel to external meetings
and events.
• Drive smoothly.
Investigate efficient driver training
for your workplace teaching things
like avoiding hard acceleration
or heavy braking to significantly
reduce emissions from car travel.
• Use technology.
Swap a long and boring flight
to your next interstate meeting
with a videoconference to save
270kg CO2-e emissions per
one way flight.
• Offset travel emissions.
Employ some trees to sequester
the carbon emissions of the
driving and flights you can’t avoid.
Live, work and play more sustainably.
Share ideas at www.ecohub.perth.wa.gov.au
OFFICE
WORKERS
Printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper
OFFICE WORKERS
10 Easy Actions to Save Energy
Using less energy means lots of savings: saving
money, saving resources, and saving the environment.
Try these tips to increase workplace energy efficiency.
• Get informed.
Join CitySwitch Green Office, a
City of Perth program offered in
partnership with other Councils
to help offices improve energy
efficiency and reduce emissions.
• Vend less.
Turn off vending machines (without
perishables) overnight and save
almost 2 tonnes of CO2-e each
year. Set a timer to 5am – 2pm and
items will stay cool until home time.
• Turn off unnecessary
• Understand your
appliances.
workplace energy use.
Turn off the kitchen microwave at
Complete your own energy audit
the wall. Unplug your phone charger
or engage a consultant to assess
to save 15kg CO2-e per year.
energy use and opportunities in
your workplace.
• Time your infrequently
used appliances.
• Delamp!
Install 24 hour timers on appliances
Make big savings in lighting costs
like hot water urns to switch off out
instantly by removing one tube
of hours.
from twin fluoro fittings
• Step up.
• Switch off at the
Take the stairs instead of the lift
end of the day.
and save 144kg of CO2-e per year
Save 280kg CO2-e a year for a
(0.1kg per trip). Maybe try Lift Free
fluoro light, 500-1500kg CO2-e a
Fridays?
year for a large copier, and 780kg
-e
CO2 a year for a computer.
• Choose energy efficient
appliances. • Switch off during the day!
-e
When it’s time to replace equipment
Save around 516kg CO2 per
and appliances choose those with
year by switching off 6 pairs of
an Energy Star rating of 3 or higher.
fluoros in a board room for an
extra 20 hours per week.
Live, work and play more sustainably.
Share ideas at www.ecohub.perth.wa.gov.au