Dear readers, in an initiative to address sustainable developments in an effort to prolong the mother earth’s longevity, to ensure a healthy and resourceful world for our future progeny, we here at Shoplet.com will be making more efforts both in terms of our parent site, as well as the blog, to provide more guides and tools to greening your environment, especially in regards to your work environment.

This following guide to green office is divided into 5 parts, which will be consecutively published in the following 5 week. Each part of this guide will provide checklists, tools, references, and other suggestions that can help a small to medium sized commercial business improve its environmental practices and image in a manner appropriate for the nature, size and location of the company. The Guide is arranged so the company can assess its current situation and opportunities, and then select those steps it wants to take to improve its programs.

By following this Guide, your company should not only be able to enhance its reputation as a responsible corporate citizen, but better meet the needs of customers, improve efficiency and productivity, and make the organization more attractive to talented new recruits.

Part I- Reducing carbon footprint

Ideas for Reducing Your Company’s Emissions of Greenhouse Gases and Energy Consumption. Review your operations against the following checklist of ideas to identify opportunities to reduce your greenhouse gas footprint.  Many of these suggestions will also enable you to reduce operating costs.

Check all that currently apply or interest you

(1)    Building/Process Energy Use

• Energy Star Equipment. Reduce energy use by purchasing personal computers and other electrical devices bearing the Energy Star certification label from the US Department of Energy, which is granted to energy-efficient items. See http://www.energystar.gov/ .
• Computers on Power Management, Power Strips. Activate the power management feature on computers.  (If all computers in the US used this feature, this would product a CO2 reduction equivalent to removing 1.5 million cars from the road.) Plug multiple computer devices into a power strip and shut off the strip at the end of the day.  Electric adapters for computers, printers and other devices use energy even when the device is off.  Switching off a power strip is one way to avoid this overnight drain of electricity.
• Energy-efficient Lighting.  Replace low output (60 to 100 watt) incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.  (CFLs last 10 times longer and use 50 to 80 percent less energy.) Replace high output (100 to 150 watt) incandescent bulbs with halogen bulbs.  Replace incandescent bulbs in exit signs with LED bulbs.  Replace T-12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts.
• Energy-efficient Systems. Use other energy-efficient lighting and heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems to the extent this can be decided or influenced by the organization.
• Upgrade Equipment.  Replace old inefficient boilers, water heaters, heating and air conditioning equipment with new highly efficient models.  Install solar systems or other alternative sources of energy where feasible.
• Fix Leaks. Seal air leaks around doors, windows, electrical outlets and other wall openings.
• Insulation.  Enhance insulation in ceilings, walls and floors as appropriate.  Install windows with better insulating properties.
• Natural Lighting. Use natural lighting in place of electrically powered light.  Paint walls in light colors to enhance the effect of natural light.
• Shading. To reduce electrical demands for air conditioning, control the heat from natural lighting by shades, awnings, or glass film.  Plant trees or vined trellises to provide natural shading during warm weather.
• Lights-out Policy. Adopt an internal policy that encourages employees to turn off lights, computers, and other equipment at the end of the workday and otherwise when not likely to be in use.  Apply “switch-me-off” stickers as reminders.  Install timers and motion sensor light switches where practicable.  Use task lighting to illuminate only those areas where light is required.
• Thermostat Settings.  Alter the settings on the thermostat to reduce the use of heating and air conditioning equipment.
•  Loading Areas.  Install air infiltration barriers in loading areas.
•  Energy Audit. Conduct and implement an energy-saving audit of the office, where cost effective.  Some electrical utility companies will do this for free or at a very modest cost for their customers.  Do a free self-assessment using the Business Energy Analyzer at http://www.energyguide.com/ .
•  Other Energy-saving Measures.  See the ABA-EPA Law Office Guide to Energy Efficiency at http://www.abanet.org/environ/climatechallenge/lawofficeguide.pdf for other practical measures that can be taken to cut energy use in an office setting.

(2)    Employee Travel

• Energy-efficient Commuting. Subsidize or otherwise encourage employee use of car pooling, energy-efficient vehicles, car-sharing programs (e.g., FlexCar, I-Go, Zipcar), mass transit, or bikes, or take other measures to reduce the energy consumed by employee commuting or other travel.
• Flexible Work Arrangements. Provide flexible work arrangements, such as early or late hours, compressed work week, telecommuting or other practices to eliminate or reduce employee commuting time.
• Teleconferencing. Adopt guidelines on the use of web, telephone and/or video-conferencing and other means to avoid unnecessary travel and associated carbon emissions.

(3)    Product Deliveries

• Reduced Deliveries.  Arrange with suppliers to reduce the frequency of deliveries to the extent practicable.
• Efficient Delivery Routing.  Use special routing software or other tools and load consolidation to improve the energy efficiency of product delivery to customers.
• Reduce, Reuse Packaging.  Reduce the amount of packaging used for product deliveries to the minimum needed to protect products from damage.  Use durable reusable shipping containers.  Shred or form used paper into shipping packing.

(4)    Paper Use

• PCW Paper. Increase the recycled post-consumer-waste (PCW) content of your office paper.
• Paper Recycling. Recycle discarded mixed office paper and corrugated materials.
• Double-sided Copying; Printer Defaults. Institute double-sided copying at least for internal documents. Use printers with an automatic duplex option, if possible. Narrow the margins on documents to conserve paper.
• Electronic Communications.  Route faxes electronically; maximize the use of e-communications in lieu of paper documents to the extent practicable.
•  Paper Re-Use. Re-use one-sided non-confidential paper documents for drafts or notepads.

(5)    Waste Generation

• Pollution prevention.  Reduce or prevent the generation of waste where practicable.  Most waste materials generate greenhouse gas emissions in their production, use and disposal.
• Waste Recycling.  Recycle paper, corrugated, aluminum cans, plastic, metals and other items that can reasonably be recycled in your community.  Local recycling often avoids much the generation of greenhouse gases that would occur if virgin materials were used.

(6)    Other Actions

• RECs, VECs, Offsets. Purchase greenhouse gas credits (voluntary emission-reduction credits, renewable energy certificates or greenhouse gas offsets) to make up for some of the greenhouse gases being emitted.  See footnote v of Appendix 1 for a listing of reputable offset retailers. Also, some airlines and discount travel services like Expedia allow you to buy an offset for your trip when you purchase your airline ticket. Bear in mind many firms are offering offsets and some are not reputable.
• Employee Ideas.  Create an incentive program which encourages employees to suggest ideas.

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What is a true customer?

According to dictionary .com a customer is “a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron.”.

This statement is a wonderful depiction of the word customer, however there are so many other aspects of a true customer. A true customer is a not only a buyer of goods or services but can easily be defined as a buyer of a “relationship”. When I refer to this word “relationship” I am encompassing many aspects of the buyer -salesman relationship. From the growth of this relationship we can compare it to the method of caring for a household plant. If this plant is not watered or trimmed or taken care of the plant will fall ill, turn brown and die. AS I have seen in recent years customers want to be pampered in every sense of the word. The “customer is always right” theory is playing a role on a much grander scale these days in this horrible economy customers want everything for nothing…To continue and build this “relationship” it will need a perfectly molded structure of on time delivery, complete shipments, a perfect charge to a credit card and even a wonderful manicured UPS driver. Salesman around the world please get together and build a relationship with your customers, they are your greatest assets…..

Until next week….

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In early February, Polaroid Corp., the Massachusetts Company that gave the world instant film photography, announced they would be shutting down its film manufacturing lines in the state and abandoning the technology that made it famous and popular for the past 60 years. The company will retain about 150 employees and will now focus on flat-panel TVs and digital photography gear.

Among the new upcoming innovations, is the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer – a small portable printer, which will let people print on the go. This printer is the first of its kind, using Zink - the zero-ink technology. No more need of printer cartridges! And because there is no ink, the Zink printer has the unique benefits of being small, simple, elegant, and mostly eco-friendly.

The secret is in the paper; the PoGo’s thermal print head activates dye crystals in the glossy photo paper. Sheets of the 2-by-3-inch printer are thinner than the old Polaroid print paper and contain three layers of primary colors suspended in the paper itself. The print is ready usually within 60 seconds.

The PoGo is designed to mostly print snapshots from a digital camera or a camera phone. It connects to cell phones via Bluetooth, and Polaroid says that the printer is compatible with over 80 percent of the cell phone models on the market that are equipped with Bluetooth and a camera. The PoGo also connects to PictBridge-enabled cameras via USB and to your PC.

As with the original Polaroid cameras, the main attraction of the printer is to obtain instant gratification, while it also offers mobility. The printer sells for $150 and holds 10 pieces of paper at a time. The paper conveniently comes in packages of 10 sheets for $4.

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So, its rounding about 12:30 in the office and half of your day is done but you’re ravenous , craving a high in fat, high in carbs, high in sodium packed lunch to satisfy your emotional stress.  You’re even thinking about peeking into the office refrigerator and stealing someone’s overdue cheesecake.

I for one have had food dreams the first half of my work day.  Sometimes I would dream about hale and hearty tomato cheddar soup with cheese fries on the side, or a loaded hamburger with tater tots.  Not once have I dreamed of a salad, turkey sandwich on wheat, or even a Whey Protein Shake.

Here are several different ways to combat food dreams during office hours.

1. Bring green tea powder.

Pills or packets to work so that they are ready and available for you when you are thirsty.  I’m sure most of you are in walking distance of a water fountain at your office (unless you work in a third world country or a factory, that is)? This way every time you’re parched you can not only drink water but get extra boost for metabolism and energy. Did I mention green tea decreases your appetite by 15 %?

2. Pack your lunch, and eat it later than everyone else.

Why? First of all, as the daughter of a former executive, I know my mother always spotted out the employees who were too busy working and didn’t eat on time, or they brought their own lunches. She thought they were more diligent than those who went out, sipped their coffee and ciggs, had lunch and conversation, and then returned.  It always looks better to your boss if you bring your own lunch, it means you are a money and time saver.  You can also control your portion size and the amount of fat the food has. I suggest packing a delicious yet light meal; whole wheat pasta with chicken and broccoli, or a turkey avocado wrap with bean sprouts.  Also, if you eat around 2 pm instead of 12 pm, you will be able to feel full for the second half of your work day and not have the urge to eat a huge dinner.

3. Eat a huge breakfast.

Breakfast is the best time to binge, yet not everybody does. Stop waking up so late and train yourself to eat a huge meal after you wake up.  Two eggs with hash is a definite must, throw in a carrot juice on the side and you’re set to go, trust me when 1 pm rolls around at work you wont be craving fried chicken with mash potatoes.

4. Brush your teeth after lunch.

Yea its embarrassing if you have to go to the bathroom and brush your teeth, what if you bump into an employee and she gives you a weird look? WHATEVER, you want to lose weight don’t you? The minty fresh feeling of a mouthwash or toothpaste will make you forget about hamburgers and pizzas. Think mints in all forms, popping Altoids sporadically will also help you cut back on eating.

5. Make sure to pack a snack.

And never walk over to the vending machines or the fridge as a ploy to steal someone else’s cake! The real way to steal someone’s cake is to steal their paycheck and get the promotion so don’t think about the fridge, THINK ABOUT THE MONEY.  The skinnier and hotter you are the more likely it is that you’ll bring in the dough.  Obtain your own snack, whether its 100 calorie pack cookies by Nabisco or baby carrots with low fat ranch dip.  Once 3 or 4 pm rolls along, you’re gonna want some cookies or chips, SAY NO! Say yes to the coffee and a home packed snack.

6. Skip dinner on weeknights.

@#$*(@*#$*@#$ …yes yes I hear you all cursing me out there.  Try to skip dinner during the week, and you’ll see the results. Come home, eat more carrots, drink a martini and try to go to sleep.  Eating dinner past 6 pm is bad for you.  You’re body starts to shut down and burn fewer calories. In fact the reason why most people gain weight is because dinner is largerin proportion and heavier in fats.  Once you learn to skip dinner, you can eat lighter dinners and still feel full.   Anyway you can use the weekend to enjoy yourselves, you don’t have to do it everyday.

7.  Try to occupy your time with dates after work

Dating requires quite a bit of nervous energy, which makes you lose your appetite.  That butterfly in the stomach feeling? Yea, use that to your advantage and try to meet as many people as possible.  Dating to lose weight is always effective and quite necessary.

Now are you all ready to look hot? Follow these steps and you will.  Trust
me you will thank me for it.

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In your real physical work space, documents are structured, marked, organized, and construed to contain subtle informative cues that help us tremendously in processing our daily work load. Such expressive cues are lost when translated into the virtual world. If your computer desktop is anything like mine, it is most likely littered with non-descript uniform icons with names that doesn’t really reflect the essence of the documents. If your computer desktop is anything like mine, I would not poke those file with a ten-foot pole, in fear of loosing myself in miles of data I can not extrapolate myself from. Why can’t my computer desktop resemble the ease and usability of my desktop at work? Well, actually, Anand Agarawala, recently created BumpTop, which promises to bring the interactivity, the quirkiness, and the logic that exist on your desktop at work to life on its virtual counter. Some of the images below capture my favorite features of this computer desktop.

Crumpling documents into crumpled paper state before deletion might be ultra useful as a way of organizing file.

File on the desktop can be made into neat piles that then can be manipulated in various ways to be examined. This particular command allows one to browse pile by fanning out the content.

One of my favorite feature of this application allows one to place weight and emphasis on a particular file by enlarging the file, that then literally takes on physical weight and can not be moved by smaller lighter objects.

What other suggestions do you have to improve your computer desktop interface and experience?

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