1. Telecommuting
AISAP has implemented a telecommuting program for employees and contractors...and there are additional benefits beyond simply saving money on gasoline and reducing transportation-based emissions! Allowing alternative working arrangements has resulted in more productivity and greater employee/contractor happiness.
2. Electronic invoices, statements, and documents
AISAP not only saves money on postage, but also cut down on the use of paper by converting routine business documents such as invoices, statements, and quotes into an electronic format such as PDF, and then delivering them via email when possible. That is far more "green" and much cheaper than the traditional method of printing them on paper, putting them in an envelope, and mailing them via the postal mail service.
3. Being bright about light
Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity used in offices. Whenever we can, AISAP employees and contractors turn off the lights when leaving a room for 15 minutes or more...and we use natural light when we can! TIP: Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting.
4. Printing smarter
Did you know that the average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year? That's a lot of landfill! So at AISAP, we print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper or drafts. We print in draft mode whenever feasible. We recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy re-manufactured ones. According to Office Depot, each re-manufactured toner cartridge “keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills … and conserves about a half gallon of oil.”
5. Going paperless when possible
Think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? AISAP posts employee manuals and similar materials online, rather than distributing print copies. And for our 2015 Annual Institute, we are putting all information on our app and online so if you have a cell phone or laptop, you can go paperless too!
6. Turning off equipment when it's not being used
This can reduce the energy used by 25 percent; turning off the computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 percent!
7. Encouraging communications by email
At AISAP we always encourage our employees, contractors and corporate partners to communicate with us via email rather than print, and we read email messages onscreen to determine whether it's necessary to print them. If it's not, we don't!
8. Finding a supply of paper with maximum available recycled content
9. Instigating an ongoing search for "greener" products and services
We encourage everyone to start the search with local companies. The further your supplies or service providers have to travel, the more energy will be used to get them to you. But beyond that, AISAP is always on lookout for greener companies, greener products, and service providers who take "reduce, reuse, recycle" seriously.
10. Helping one another out!
If your school has had success working with a specific recycling program or found a great recycled product, share your experience with your colleagues on
The AISAP Exchange! Word-of-mouth is an incredibly strong tool, and by helping one another out we can all move forward in a more positive direction.
Want to share what your school has done to "go green"?