Sustainability in the office and home office: tips and advice

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One look at the media is enough to know that the term "sustainability" is really trendy these days and is used inflationarily. There are sustainable financial policies, sustainable travel and even sustainable disposable coffee cups. However, not everything that boasts "sustainability" is really sustainable. To make sure you don't fall for such greenwashing scams, we first want to define the term sustainability before we present our sustainability tips for the office.

Definition of sustainability: ecological, social, efficien

The concept of sustainability originally comes from forestry, where "sustainable" management is understood to mean that only as many trees are removed from the forest in period X as can grow back in the same period X. Outside of forestry, this naturally raises questions: How do we deal with non-renewable raw materials? And what about irreversible environmental damage?

Definition Nachhaltigkeit: ökologisch, sozial, wirtschaftlich

Beyond forestry, the sustainability debate is mostly about environmental and resource problems that plague our modern society: the threat to natural resources posed by our way of life and economy, global change, long-term effects of human intervention in natural systems. In concrete terms, however, it is also about the well-being and even the survival of humankind.

In sustainability research, sustainability is said to have three dimensions: ecology, the social dimension and the economy. So when we talk about sustainability, we are talking about preserving the natural basis of life, about inter- and intra-generational justice, but it is also about economic expediency and its efficiency.

In 1987, the so-called Brundtland Report defined sustainability as follows:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Two key concepts are important:
- The notion of 'needs', especially the basic needs of the world's poorest, which should be the overwhelming priority; and
- the notion of the constraint that the state of technology and social organization places on the ability of the environment to meetpresent and future needs."

This definition is the first to focus on the distribution of goods between generations: the authors call for a fair distribution of the satisfaction of needs between people today and people tomorrow.

However, the authors also point out that, apart from intergenerational distribution problems, there are also intragenerational distribution problems: how can goods be distributed fairly within a generation?

Nachhaltigkeit im Büro: Praktische Tipps für die nachhaltige Arbeit

Sustainability in the office: practical tips for sustainable work

Enough theory! Now it's time to put sustainability into practice. You probably already know a lot of the tips and advice. But we hope that you can still pick up one or two pieces of advice.

In Bee friendly's sustainability tips, we try to reconcile the three components of sustainability: (1) the ecological dimension; (2) the social dimension and (3) the economic dimension. Because acting sustainably not only protects people and the environment, but is also easy on the wallet!

Sustainability tip 1: Getting to wor

The first opportunity to protect nature, people and your wallet is on the way to work. Just hop on your bike instead of driving to the office. Of course, this isn't always possible for everyone - and sometimes it's easier said than done. But even if you don't manage to take the bike every day, it's worth it from 1-2 times a week!

Nachhaltigkeit-Tipp 1: Weg zur Arbeit

If the distance between your home and your office is too great, you can also switch to bike and train. In many places, bikes and folding bikes can be taken on the train free of charge and often you can even travel faster than by car! No searching for a parking space, no traffic jams - no stress. Many employers finance so-called job tickets or e-bikes. Why not find out!

Riding a bike produces less CO2 than driving a car and doesn't pollute city centers with toxic exhaust fumes and wear and tear on your brake pads or tires. Cycling keeps you fit, so you don't have to go to the gym ;) You also don't have to refuel as often.

Sustainability tip 1: Bicycle instead of car for the commute to work

Nature Cycling produces less CO2 than driving a car.
Human You don't bother your fellow human beings with toxic exhaust fumes.
Purse You save money at the gas station and stay healthy and fit.

Sustainability tip 2: Power strips for electronic devices

People have been preaching this for years, but many people still don't follow this advice: switch off your electronic devices completely when you don't need them instead of leaving them in standby mode. The best way to do this is to use power strips with an on/off button and position them within easy reach. For example, you can place the power strip directly on your desk so that you never forget to switch it off when you finish work or go on your lunch break.

Standby-Modus von elektronischen Geräten vermeiden

Sustainability tip 2: Avoid standby mode on electronic devices

Nature A lot of electricity is generated from non-renewable energies.
Human Coal mining contaminates entire regions and makes them uninhabitable.
Purse If you use less electricity, your electricity bill will be lower.

Sustainability tip 3: Vegan or vegetarian lunch brea

Speaking of lunch breaks: what do you usually eat? Do you go to the canteen, take something from home or go to a restaurant? No matter how and where you spend your lunch break, you can make your break more sustainable by eating vegetarian or vegan more often (or always). Fortunately, there is a staggering range of meat-free dishes available these days.

Meat production is unsustainable in many ways. It emits a lot of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere; animal welfare is often a lower priority than sales; and far too much land is farmed to produce vast amounts of feed for livestock. In short, the environment is polluted, animals are tortured and habitats are destroyed.

Öfter vegetarisch oder vegan essen

Of course, you can't say across the board that all farmers are bad. But when buying meat, you should make sure that it comes from sustainable and organic production. Yes, it might be a little more expensive, but it's better to eat good meat a little less often than to eat bad meat a lot - right?

Sustainability tip 3: Eat vegetarian or vegan more often

Nature Meat production produces a lot of CO2 and methane.
Human Nutritional justice: more people can be nourished through vegan/vegetarian food
Purse Vegan/vegetarian dishes usually cost less

Sustainability tip 4: Promote biodiversity on the company premises

You can also make your office building or home office balcony sustainable. After all, nature conservation covers three main areas: (1) climate, (2) pollution and (3) biodiversity. Even if we get climate change under control and pollution can be minimized, a high level of biodiversity on our planet is important.

If biodiversity continues to decline, life as we know it will no longer be possible. Without bees, wild bees and other insects, pollinating plants will be impossible. Entire ecosystems will collapse if too many species become extinct.

Nachhaltigkeit-Tipp 4: Firmengelände

You can make a big difference in your office with little effort. Place flower pots or flower boxes outside to give endangered wild bees a source of food. And apart from that, wild flowers are simply beautiful to look at!

Sustainability tip 4: Sow wildflowers for insects

Nature Promotes biodiversity in your city
Human A beautiful wildflower meadow puts you in a good mood and improves the working atmosphere
Purse Attracts beneficial insects so you don't need pesticides.

Sustainability tip 5: Insist on waste separatio

Often laziness wins out and the garbage is thrown into the nearest "waste bin" - whether banana peels, plastic yogurt cups or paper flyers. This waste ends up in the residual waste garbage can, where it is not sorted but usually incinerated.

Nachhaltigkeit-Tipp 5: Auf Mülltrennung bestehen

This is bad for the environment and bad for your wallet. If you separate your waste, you can really save money, conserve resources and reduce pollution. Why not try an experiment and get rid of all the waste bins in the office? Instead of lots of unsorted waste garbage cans, you can open a central waste collection point where the waste is separated straight away.

If you have smokers, you can collect their stubs separately and donate them to Tobacycle. They recycle the cigarette butts and turn them into great products!

Sustainability tip 5: Central waste collection point instead of many “waste bins”

Nature Plastic and paper are recycled and fewer resources are needed
Human Waste separation no longer has to be done manually by people
Purse Less residual waste means more money for the coffee fund!

Sustainability tip 6: Switch to grass pape

Of course, it is best to print as little as possible. But unfortunately it's not always possible to be a paperless office. If there is no other way and you have to print something out, then use recycled paper or, even better, grass paper.

Auf Graspapier umsteigen

Sustainability tip 6: Switch to grass paper

Nature Consumes less CO2, energy and water
Human People can recover in forests
Purse Fully recyclable in the paper garbage can

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