What Grinds the Green Gears?
What Grinds the Green Gears?
April 18, 2008: Xerox has released a new survey which reveals the top 10 environmental pet peeves of office workers.
In a world where being a crusader against climate change is the new ‘in’ thing it’s quite common for the talk around the water cooler to be self-inflating about ones own conquests in the name of the environment. Xerox’s survey of North American office workers has found there are strong levels of resentment about work colleagues who talk a big game but don’t show up to play when it comes to being green.
"As we talk with our customers, we often find that environmental consciousness is left in the recycling bin that sits in employees' garages. While they're eco-friendly at home, the office is still breeding ground for bad habits," said Patricia A. Calkins, vice president of Environment, Health and Safety at Xerox.
A staggering 40% of U.S respndents put their highest pet peeve as mindless printing resulting in abandoned pages at the printer. Coming in a close second was leaving the lights on when the room's not in use with 37%.
Calkins points out that it only takes a few small steps to make a big difference. The first step should be using the technology available in the office to cut back on paper use, reduce waste and reduce energy consumption.
The top 10 Environmental Pet Peeves of fellow office workers:
- Mindless printing resulting in increased waste (40%)
- Leaving lights on (37%)
- Lack of recycling bins (33%)
- Excessive air conditioning in summer and heat in winter (29%)
- Excessive use of paper products, like cups, plates, etc. (27%)
- Coworkers not recycling (27%)
- Coworkers not printing double-sided when they can (24%)
- Too many cover sheets when faxing or printing (24%)
- Having to store paper copies of existing, electronic files (24%)
- Leaving computer on and not powering down when going home (23%)