Eco-friendly buildings are in greater demand than ever. According to SeedScientific, the value of global eco-friendly buildings exceeded $85 billion in 2019.

Are you interested in managing a green building? You should keep reading to learn more.

What Steps Can You Take to Create an Eco-Friendly Office Building?

The terms eco-friendly, carbon footprint, and “going green” have become a lot more popular in recent years. People all over the world are expressing an interest in sustainability and doing more for Mother Earth, which is a noble endeavor. However, while the news is often big on catchphrases, it’s not always good on sharing practical advice.

We decided to share some guidelines to help you make the transition to a more sustainable office building. Here are some great ways to make sure your office space is doing its part to save the planet.

1. Power Your Building with Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is very important these days. One study projects that global companies will spend over $1.9 trillion on renewable energy by 2030.

You will want to try using sustainable energy to run your building. This will cut your energy costs over the long-term and help lower your building’s carbon footprint.

2. Go Paperless

Creating a paperless office seems like a no-brainer. This is a shift many businesses have been trying to implement for decades. The Internet, cloud storage and electronic signatures have made it easier for companies to reduce the amount of paper they produce — saving trees along the way. Of course, with improved technology comes a greater vulnerability to data loss, either via equipment malfunction or malicious attack. To help protect your work look into digital signatures, which are more secure than simple electronic ones.

While the above is all well and good, the truth of the matter is, you probably can’t go completely paperless. The good news is you can still minimize the impact of the paper you use on the environment. Using recycled paper and environmentally-friendly inks for printing, for example. If you have a contracting company or architectural firm, chances are you can’t live without printed blueprints. Using a flat-file blueprint holder can help reduce the chemicals in the air in your office. They also mean you don’t have to fold your prints and that reduces human exposure to the fumes as well.

3. Renovate Your Office Building to Be Greener

Going Green means different things to different people, and again, the news doesn’t always help you figure out how best to do that. A brand-new office building probably has some green features built-in, but what if you work in an older facility? Don’t worry; you can still make a difference.

One way is by adding plants to your space that can actually help clean the air. Just remember, just because it’s green doesn’t mean it has the right sustainable features for your office. Be sure to look for ones that help remove toxins and improve indoor air quality.

4. Go Forth and Recycle

Nearly every office has bins for recycling paper. There will be some under every desk, and most break rooms have a place for employees to put empty cans or bottles. But you can take things a step further. When replacing furniture or equipment, see if any of it can be donated to a good cause in the neighborhood. Lots of schools, non-profits and other groups might be able to get more mileage out of something you no longer need.

When buying that new equipment, look for items that are made with or of recycled materials. This helps reduce your carbon footprint. Used office furniture is also another option as there’s often too much of it discarded worldwide. One company’s trash just might be your treasure, so check out wholesalers or retailers that deal in pre-owned desks, chairs and conference room furnishings.

5. Go Turn Off the Lights

In addition to what we’ve mentioned above, you can also cut back on your electricity usage. Instead of a panel of electric lights above the conference table, make better use of natural light sources like windows and skylights. Add a few mirrors to the room to enhance the effect. In the same vein, amplify any sun shining through windows in the summer and block it in winter to save on heating and cooling energy needs. Who knows? You might just save some money, too.

The idea of helping to preserve the planet for ourselves and for future generations is something most people can agree on. The key is knowing what you can do in your own space to help. Remember, no one can do everything, but everyone can do something — and if we all just did something, wouldn’t that be a great place to start?