Help Benner & White Celebrate
EARTH DAY
Go Green at the Office:
When making our lifestyle more environmentally friendly, a lot of attention is given to homes. Because people spend much of their time at work, greening an office is often just as important. Taking the time to save energy and use less resources at work will go a long way to protecting the environment. At Benner & White, we are committed to doing our part to help the environment by following the recommended tips below.
Computers are a main fixture in every business and corporation. Business computers can waste more than one billion dollars worth of electricity a year. Though there is a small surge in energy when a computer starts up, this small amount of energy is still less than the energy used when a computer is running for long periods of time. For energy savings and convenience, consider turning off:
- the monitor if you aren't going to use your PC for more than 20 minutes
- both the CPU and monitor if you're not going to use your PC for more than 2 hours.
Employers should purchase energy-saving computers, monitors, and printers. Donate old computers to charity organizations. This will reduce the number of computers entering a landfill.
Turn off the lights when you leave your office. Buy energy star-rated light bulbs and fixtures. They use about two-thirds less energy than regular light bulbs.
Try to reduce the amount of paper that you use. Whenever possible, post manuals and other policies online. Let's starting sending submittals for new jobs digitally instead of printing several copies that are ultimately thrown away. Print on both sides of the paper and use the other side of old documents for faxes and scribble paper. When possible, print in black. Make it a policy to only purchase recycled paper. There are a variety of earth friendly paper products available which are made from either bamboo, hemp, organic, or cotton materials. Recycle ink cartridges and toner and only buy remanufactured products. Benner & White has transitioned to using On Screen Takeoff for our estimates, greatly reducing our need to print and waste
unnecessary
paper on blueprints.
We are also no longer printing bid faxes, but instead having the faxes forward to a new email address:
Place recycling containers throughout the office. This will drastically cut down on the amount of paper and plastics going into landfills.
There are a number of eco-friendly office products available. A few items include envelopes and papers, refillable pens and markers, toilet paper, paper towels, biodegradable soaps, and biodegradable cleaners.
Employers can make it a policy to only reusable dishes, silverware, and glasses. Switch to filtered water to reduce the use of bottled water.
Benner & White would like to introduce our newest member of the team - James Brown! He has been with us for over a month now, and is settling in nicely. Feel free to send him a welcoming hello @ jbrown@bennerwhite.com as we welcome him into the Benner & White.
