Going Green in the Office

There's a great networking opportunity for the environmentally-minded in the Annapolis area where our offices are located. It's called Green Drinks and it's a monthly get-together in a fun, informal way and the common cause is the Health of the Chesapeake Bay. At Green Drinks this past Tuesday, we celebrated Tourism Week in Maryland and conversations were engaging, casual and fun! Go to greendrinks.org to find a Green Drinks in your area!

Here's some tips on going Green in the office:

• Turn off your computer every night
• Make sure your monitor turns off
• Change your computer power settings to it will go into sleep mode if unused
• Put all your office equipment on power strips which can be turned off
• Start using CFL bulbs for lighting
• Install an Occupancy Detector for lighting
• Invite in sunlight, open up blinds, set up your desk so that it maximizes light

*If every US computer and monitor were shut off every night, we would shut down eight large power stations and decrease CO2 emissions by 7 million tons annual. *Office Energy Guide, developed by the city of Portland, Oregon