A lot of offices and businesses have recently made the decision to go green and transform into an eco-friendly environment. If you are wanting to re-generate or redesign your office space to something which is better for the environment, then you may find yourself running into a few misconceptions that come with green offices.

One of the most common myths is that eco-friendly offices aren’t as attractive or appealing, but going green doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on your aesthetics. Interior designers and architects are always finding new ways to create functional offices in a responsible way. As time goes on, there are more and more examples of green interior design and architecture which maintains both style and functionality. So, if you are looking for some green inspiration for your office space, then here are 4 ideas that you can incorporate into your designs.

Use Sustainable Materials

Furniture manufacturers and designers are finding new and creative ways to repurpose old pieces of furniture to make proper and effective use of the recyclable materials. By choosing recycled or repurposed materials, you are creating a solution for eco-friendly office space. This, in turn, protects the environment, saves your business money and is far better than choosing un-recyclable pieces of furniture which are sure to end up in landfill.

Bring In The Outdoors

A powerful and effective way to make your office eco-friendly and stylish is to create a green or living wall. These walls are covered with plants and flowers which are grown with a hydroponics system. This type of feature is perfect for any business which wants to make a bold and strong visual statement within their office, whilst also getting all the benefits of the plants and flowers used.

A beautiful green wall can totally transform the look of any office and adds in natural texture, style and colour which doesn’t go out of fashion. If you are unable to invest in a whole green wall, then even just the addition of small plants around the office or on desks is enough to brighten up the workplace and provide better air quality which is a very important component when it comes to sustainable and healthy office environments. The air quality in office spaces is essential for the well-being of your employees, so if a green wall doesn’t work for your office space, look at installing industrial ventilation systems instead.

Reorganise Your Printing Room

On average, each employee uses around 50 sheets of paper a day. With this in mind, try to encourage your employees or coworkers to print less. Adding small signatures to the bottom of your emails, such as “Think about the environment before you print this message” is a small step towards solving a huge problem and is one which can easily be passed between companies via your emails.

Having an organised printing room can easily reduce paper consumption in your office. Instead of printing single sided, encourage the people in the office to use double-sided printing as an alternative. Use a tray to store old or unwanted pieces of paper and ask your employees or colleagues to use these as scraps for notes or phone call details.

 Revitalise Your Kitchen Area

Kitchens are one of the most used spaces in the office, however, they can also be a place for a lot of un-recyclable waste to gather. Trying to curve these habits is not only down to you but to your colleagues and employees, too.

If you notice that a lot of your co-workers bring in to-go coffee on their way into the office, try and encourage them to invest in reusable travel cups instead. Often, these coffee cups are unable to be recycled due to the lining of plastic which prevents the drink from leaking. You could even purchase branded mugs for employees to use, or buy a coffee machine which consumes less energy than a kettle or hot tap.

A lot of snacks and meals come in plastic material, which also can’t be recycled, but due to their convenience factor are a huge hit with those on the go. Having snacks, such as fruit, nuts and vegetables, available may encourage workers to eat those instead of buying plastic-laden packs of crisps or sweets. You could also have an array of reusable lunch boxes or eco-friendly food wrap for the office to use for storage and heating in place of disposable plastic wrapping.

Eco-friendly offices don’t need to be boring or bland and, with the growing popularity of eco-friendly designs and practices, there are now more options than ever to create a green space which is beneficial for both you, your workers and the environment.

Natalie Wilson is a freelance writer and avid interior designer. She loves discovering home renovation blogs and Instagram accounts and spending her free time shopping for home accessories to add to her growing collection. She aims to buy her own home in the next year and begin her very own renovation project. You can connect with her on Twitter @NatWilson976.

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