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In the workplace
Saving energy at work is important, because more CO2 emissions are generated in the workplace than in the home (particularly as we get 'greener' in our home lives), and rising energy costs affect an organisation's bottom line.
Some areas that you might want to consider include:
Lighting & heating
 Maximum individual controllability of heating, cooling and lighting allows greater personal comfort and potentially, greater energy efficiency particularly if works are going on anyway.
Large workplaces with onsite generators/boilers/substations are well placed to install Combined Heat & Power (CHP) generators, which are particularly efficient.
Equipment
 Equipment left on produces emissions and waste money, especially if it is left on overnight. Often people are not quite sure whether something is really 'off', or whether they are allowed to turn it off.
Automatic options like motion sensor lights in low use areas, and automatic power down of PCs after working hours, are popular with staff and increasingly widely implemented.
Recycling
 Recycling is often the first thing colleagues will think of when asked about how 'green' their workplace is. A recycle approach to products at work will protect the planet by using fewer scarce resources.
Currently, our paper use equates to cutting down a forest that would cover a small country, every single year. As well as providing habitats for wildlife, trees can stop climate change by absorbing CO2.
Reducing the use of resources
 Even better than recycling is reducing the use of resources (including energy) in the first place, by having a well thought through purchasing and equipment/supplies replacement strategy.
For example, the organisation could commit to: buying recycled paper and other products where possible, ensuring new printers and copiers can print on both sides, or setting an ambitious 'zero waste' target.
Transport
 Helping employees switch to lower carbon alternatives, include incentives for bike use, walking, car sharing, using public transport, or allowing flexible working, are all good starting points.
Finally workers worried about the impact of their holiday travel could push for longer holiday entitlements - one employer has agreed an extra day's holiday if staff travel by train not plane!
Catering
 If your organisation provides catering for staff or clients, does it rely too heavily on carbon-intensive pre-prepared, processed, packaged and/or frozen foods?
If there isn't on-site catering, does the organisation provide sufficient time and facilities to access a good choice of food options? Or are they too reliant on power-hungry vending machines?
Elect an environmental representative
 Environmental reps can act as a conduit between management and staff, feeding concerns, suggestions and responses in both directions, and working with the workforce to develop best environmental practice.
They can help review or shape environmental policies and initiatives, and help ensure that such policies are properly understood, fit for purpose, and can be put into practical effect at each workplace.
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