UK workers’ green habits go out of the window the moment they leave home and set off for work, a national study has revealed.
Commissioned as part of Green Office Week, Monday 14th May – Friday 18th, the study of 1,000 UK workers found that while we are generally green at home, happily recycling as much as we can and conserving energy, when we get to work we are likely to bin unused printer paper, chuck away food wrappers and drinks cartons and even leave windows open with the heating still on.
The study also revealed that nearly a quarter of us print things out when we don’t need to and four out of ten of us forget to use our company recycling bin. This is compared to eight out of ten who manage to separate recyclable goods from non-recyclables when at home. In fact, we are twice as likely to be greener at home than we are at work despite most of us wishing otherwise.
Eight out of ten UK workers are disappointed that their own company is not leading the way with more green initiatives. And, despite a quarter of us believing that we would feel less loyal to a company that doesn’t want to be green, 41% of us have previously been in an awkward situation with a manager simply for trying to implement green practices at work.
This is despite evidence demonstrating that being green can bring real cost-saving benefits to companies. More than half of the UK’s office workers feel they would be happier and more positive at work if the companies they work for were more supportive of their efforts to be green.
Green Office Week aims to empower individuals across the UK to change their business practices for the better, helping them to find greener ways of working. With nearly half of workers feeling that their companies do not take their environmental responsibilities seriously enough, Green Office Week focuses on the simple and practical things that we can all do to make a real difference.
Bigger and better than ever before, Green Office Week 2012 features a unique Green League with points and prizes for the greenest UK workers and a special Junk Modelling Challenge that will prove being green can be great fun too. Full of hints and tips to help you and your business green your workplace, the week’s daily themes will help guide you on some of the most important things you can practically implement.
THE ECO SIN-BIN: THE TOP 10 NON-GREEN THINGS WE DO AT WORK
1. Chucking away paper rather than recycling it
2. Not having a recycling bin
3. Throwing away food packaging
4. Throwing away cans and cartons
5. Not printing double-sided
6. Leaving things on standby
7. Using non-environmentally-friendly products
8. Forgetting to turn off the lights when leaving the office
9. Leaving the heating on and opening windows
10. Not reusing envelopes or jiffy bags
