Green Footprint: Top Office Energy Busters

Not long ago, the concept of a “green office” was mainly considered a public relations matter—something warm and fuzzy to appease the tree-huggers but not really a fundamental change in business practice.

That was before businesses got a rude awakening this fall in the form of a Wall Street implosion and fears of a worldwide recession. In these days of economic crisis, greening the workplace does more than just polish a company’s public image; it is becoming de rigueur for any firm that cares about its bottom line.

“There are both marketing advantages and overall profitability advantages to going green—if done in the right way,” according to Shel Horowitz, a Massachusetts-based author and marketer who bills himself as an ethical marketing expert. “At this point, there is so much green consciousness that it would be a serious marketing disadvantage not to embrace green principles. Fortunately,” he says, “many green steps actually save money directly.”

While air quality, water use and waste reduction are three important areas to target, John Gagel, manager of sustainable practices for printer manufacturer Lexmark International, says energy savings should be at the top of any list of green-office priorities.

“With the state of the cost of energy in the United States now, or even around the world, there are some very good things that can be done, which offer [an] improvement in energy or technology,” Gagel says. “All of those things are pretty easily addressed, and the return on the investment is pretty quick when you make upgrades or improvements for energy efficiency.”

1. Let There Be Light

Energy savings start with those suddenly ubiquitous squiggly compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, as well as other lighting options.

Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy have joined a growing movement among utilities to offer instant rebates that bring the initial cost of the bulbs down to less than the ones they replace, making them the most cost-effective place to start. The reason? Producing electricity accounts for almost half of all carbon emissions in the United States, and room lighting can account for almost one third of all electricity used in an office, so lighting actually is a big deal.

CFL bulbs use a quarter of the electricity of standard incandescent bulbs, on average, and last five to 10 times longer. These days, bulbs come in a wide

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