Kirsty and Melissa have been working to make the office more environmentally friendly lately. To save paper and prevent waste, they’ve begun reusing envelopes and other stationary. As they've pointed out, using a recycled envelope might not be as pretty as a new one, but it makes all the difference to the environment.

We all know that 'working green’ will benefit the environment, but people often forget that it can benefit the office, too. From a company perspective, being environmentally conscious is good for your public image--it shows your willingness as an organisation to give back to the community. Even within your own team, showing that the company cares about something beyond the bottom line can help employees feel more positive about their workplace. And of course, green changes to the office can also save money in the short and long term.

Below are a few simple ideas we'd suggest that can make your office friendlier to the environment.

1. Recycle and conserve paper whenever possible. This can be as simple as keeping any printed material you no longer need to use as note paper instead of buying it, or printing double-sided documents. And you can take a leaf out of Kirsty and Melissa's book and recycle envelopes.

2. Turn off equipment if it isn’t being used. While leaving computers on overnight won’t use much energy on its own, just turning off the monitors can dramatically reduce energy use. Any printers or other electronics which don’t see much action can also be switched off instead of idling.

3. Use a fax modem instead of a regular fax machine. By sending documents directly from the computer, you can save on the paper you would use to print and fax them normally.

4. Check your suppliers and make sure that you get your paper and equipment from eco-friendly companies. Many brands of paper are made from recycled materials, and some companies make other supplies (mouse mats, chairs, etc.) using the same.

5. Refill printer cartridges. Aside from reducing the amount of waste produced by the office, refilling cartridges instead of buying new ones will save a lot of money.

To wind up, I thought I'd share this video that was recommended to me on twitter a few days ago. It has a great list of ways to be green at work.