Office Practices: It Can Be Easy Being Green



Think by Steelcase


Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd which makes it a great time to evaluate your company "green practices" and find ways to help the environment all year long.

Furniture, like the Think Chair by Steelcase, have come a long way in the types of plastics and manufacturing techniques used to create them. Think is actually the first piece to receive Cradle to Cradle certification and is up to 98% recyclable.

Don't have a budget to buy new furniture? No problem - used furniture (i.e. pre-owned) is a great way to get really good equipment at lower prices. Many local companies have pre-owned options available to their customers. Give dealers a call and see if this is a possibility. They may also have in-house services to reupholster or paint - so check into that, as well!

Additionally, recycling bins in your office (at each workstation) and in the kitchen area, will help with the most basic recycling we're taught. Using LED lighting and post consumer recycled paper is another easy way to contribute. Also, think about setting up a carpooling program or benefits for those who take public transportation or ride a bike to work. Positive reinforcement for continually doing the "green thing" is a great way to keep Earth Day going everyday!

Check out these additional articles for some more ideas.

Green office: Recycling at work
What is paper recycling?
10 Ways to go Green at Work

Spring Warehouse Sale April 9th - 13th, 2012

Review/Revamp those Resolutions!

If this is what your desk looks like,
add "get organized" to you 2012 list!

Hello. My name is Kendal and I am a procrastinator. It has been 84 days since I set my new year's resolutions and I have yet to check in and see how I'm doing. Beyond the standard "lose 10lbs, drink less, exercise more" promises I've made (and had varying results with), there were the ones I wrote on for the office: get organized, set goals and start networking.

With any project you take, evaluating the progress and success is necessary. It may also become apparent that modifying the original plan to reach a goal would be beneficial; even if that means deterring from what you thought would be best. So...let's review!

1. Get organized: I wrote on getting your papers and files under control and going through the piles that haven't been touched and recycle them. I've actually done this at both work and home, though maintain the tendency to stack and leave. This is especially true with mail I get that exists online, as well. My revamped goal is to go as paperless where possible and to stop leaving piles of papers to rediscover. Additionally, using the shredder or a shredding service as opposed to just leaving them next to the shredder for a rainy day.

2. Set Goals: My goal is to stay on track for my Master's Program and I can safely say I am on task there. I'm in the classes I need and signed up for the ones in the summer to be done in December. To revamp this, I need to stay on top of all the coursework that's adding up due to the two courses I'm taking instead of the recommended one. Staying focused on the goal and what it entails is the big issue for me - so my new goal here is to keep motivated and get the work done.

3. Start Networking: I started the new year like a networking fiend - meeting new people, hitting events, getting introductions. I finally got my calling card made, as well, and was all set to use them...and then classes started. My networking goal was like my weight loss goal - it started out with a lot of promise and has slowly fizzled out. However, I know this (like eating right) is important, so here my revamp goal: hit at least one networking event a month and make time for emails. Networking is more than one step and I always hit the 2nd...but maintaining these relationships is important and I need to give time to them.

So...how are you on your goals? Any that need to be revamped? Let us know!

Kendal

Top 5 Design & Furniture Blogs

I've been feeling a creative lapse the past few weeks and the office has been slammed with work (which means my cool co-workers have not been able to write anything up for me). In times like these, I do searches to find some innovative, smart, and sassy bloggers to help get my artistic juices flowing. In this case, I came across a blog of the top 25 design and furniture blogs (and I do recommend checking padstyle.com's full article here) as assessed by padstyle. I was happy to see I follow a few of them and added one or two of my own. Enjoy!

Design Milk: The write on architecture, art, home furnishings, interior design, style, fashion and technology. They also have a sister site for dog lovers...which makes them that much cooler.

Inhabitat: Writing on greener solutions in architecture, products, interiors, technology, transportation and more. They find some great images of sustainable concepts, as well!

Decor 8: Sometimes you just want to be crafty and create something fun and interesting. Check out this blog for fresh ideas for the home and office!
Turnstone: Though they are one of our main vendors at Bank & Office Interiors, the content they put out on their blog goes beyond pushing office furniture - and I appreciate that.

Nurture: I know, another one of our vendors - but if you're designing for the healthcare industry, this is not a bad blog to check out what's going on. They go from why clinicians should sit when interacting w/ patients to kimono robes and new hospital designs. Definitely worth checking out!

Again, be sure to check out Padstyle's full article here. And let me know if I should have a few more blogs on my list!

Thanks! Kendal

The Flexibility of the Healthcare Worker: Pocket Cart

As today's hospitals continue to look for ways to help their patients as precisely and quickly as possible, the need for tools and products to aid them in this quest is becoming more demanding. A simple, yet much needed cart has been developed by Nurture by Steelcase that provides doctors and nurses a reliable and flexible station that can easily go where it is needed.

The Pocket Cart has a lot to boast - It's mobile (sturdy wheels takes it anywhere). It's silent (no, seriously, it has zero noise while moving). It's flexible (space for various technologies). And customizable (height adjustability and accessories options). It's also easy to clean, which is quite important in the hospital and clinic environments.

Carts may have been around for a very long time, but it has only been quite recently that it has been perfected. Please check these out and recommend a test drive to your doctors and nurses!

Staying Productive at Work



Yesterday, Geekwire.com posted an article on 7 tips to make yourself more efficient right now. I thought it was great. As a person who needs to motivate myself to get everything on my plate done, taking new tips and ideas to add to my personal style is always helpful. Here are my favorites:

Do your most important 1-2 tasks/projects FIRST every day (before email and voicemail) - if you know there is a deadline, wait to open up that email (unless you know there's an email about the project and then only open that email). You'll lose time in responding to requests and continue to push back more important jobs. I make hand written lists each day to make sure I'm prioritizing.

Set a morning “Daily Do” reminder - similar to my "Must Do" list, a Daily Do list is a great reminder for things that need to get done. I like Geekwire's example:
*Check Facebook for birthdays, and wish people a happy birthday first-thing
*Check Klout for notifications, and give a handful of people I know “+K” for their expertise
*Check my online spam filter (via Postini) for anything important I may have missed yesterday
*Check LinkedIn and Gist for other important updates across my network, and comment back as necessary
*Scan yesterday’s schedule, and send thank you notes (email or hand-written) as necessary
*Ensure all to-do’s captured yesterday have been filed and prioritized (either today or for later)
*Confirm my priorities and to-do list for today, and ensure I have every resource necessary to get them done
*Confirm today’s meetings (including sending a confirmation email if necessary)
*Prepare for today’s meetings (including any documents I’ll need there, any homework I needed to complete, etc.)

Use the two-minute rule - from their article, "Each time a new email arrives in your inbox, ask yourself: “Can I respond to this in two minutes or less?” If so, then respond right away! Don’t click or open another message just to read it. Be diligent and respond to the message you have open quickly before moving on". Too true!

And finally - Carry idea capture tools with you at all times. As soon as I get my new phone, I am downloading this app from Dial2Do. If you think of an idea while driving or away from your computer (or handy dandy notebook), you can leave a message to yourself that sends an email directly to your account, thus not forgetting this great idea! We do so much, how easy is it to forget something cool you randomly thought up?

Another great article to check out is from askmen.com's 11 Ways to be More Productive at Work. From planning phone calls and leaving at a specific time to streamlining recurring tasks, this one can definitely help you prioritize your tasks.

~Kendal

Sustainability and the Office

As our work environments continue to expand and grow into mobile, global, interconnected spaces, it is now a great time to reestablish your commitment to the environment. The products you use may be greener, the companies you work with are going greener, and many people who want to use your goods or services may make final decisions based on your sustainable practices.

Wisegeek wisely writes, "In environmental terms, sustainability implies that an action can be continued indefinitely with little, or manageable, impact on the environment. Because the health of the environment is closely linked with the health of society in general, sustainable practices ensure that the Earth's resources will be available for future generations to enjoy, and that there will be an Earth to enjoy them on. For this reason, many companies focus on sustainability, either as consultants to other companies or as part of their corporate mission". Wanting to give back where possible should be the mission. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Make sure everyone is turning off the computers, monitors, lights, printers and copiers when not in the office (or at your desk)

2. Have power strips or surge protectors with on-off switch throughout the office

3. Have recycling bins near your copier / printer

4. Use paper that is 100% recycled, 30% post consumer

5. Try to go as paperless as possible

6. When purchasing new computers, buy EPEAT certified or items that are Energy Star rated

Check out this PDF for more tips (created for an educational institution) or here for more tips (created for the office).

Additionally, how do your city and state rank on going green?Not to brag, but I live in the number 1 city in the USA - apparently we are highly educated on the sustainable movement and it's practices. Check out the list from Grist here. Oddly enough, Washington State is number 17 on the US national list. Those guys in Vermont are definitely doing something right! See where your state falls here.

Have anything special that your office does? How do you stay accountable? Let us know in the comments below!

~ Kendal