You might be a Director of your own company, or an employee of a large business, no matter where you are in the workplace you can make a difference to the environmental impact your company has on the wider world.

We've got 12 changes you could make to your work life that would benefit the environment.

1. Your Thermo-Stat
   More of a problem in the winter, we're all aware of the difficulties of working productively when you're cold but the more changes made to the temperature the worse your impact will be.
   If you need to warm the office up, do so at a level everyone is happy with, while being conscious that the less difference there is to outdoors, the better that is for the environment.
2. Your Commute To Work
   The potential to reduce your footprint as an employee in this way is massive. Offering benefits for cycling schemes, promoting car pooling, even walking on sunnier days where it's appropriate.
   Many businesses have on-site cleaning facilities to make running & cycling a far more appealing choice to commuters.
3. Zoom or Teams?
   Whenever you're setting up a meeting on a potentially business to business basis, ask yourself whether the meeting has to happen in person. 
   If you're able to carry out the meeting online at least one of you could well have saved the production of a large amount of greenhouse gas.
4. Your Supplies
   When putting together supplies for an office, go to the lengths in finding out what options you have. Amongst these options do any of them show a greater commitment to looking after the planet? If so, make it happen.
5. Your Reuse
   Recycling has quickly become part of every day life. In the workplace make it as convenient as possible for your workforce to recycle. Including just as many recycling bins as standard bins can help make sure the waste plastic, paper & cardboard that has the potential to be recycled will reach where it needs too.
   Recycling doesn't have to stop at using the recycling bin more effectively but ask yourself if cardboard boxes can be reused or other supplies your business may utilise.
6. What’s Cooking?

   Something we all have in common is eating something during the day. While so many bring their own packed lunches in, the growing popularity of food deliveries in city centre workplaces has no doubt impacted the environment. Whether that means cutting down on orders, opting for cyclist-only deliveries, or offering more options for employees to make their food in-house.

7. Paperless
   It has appeared on the footer of countless emails but always ask yourself, do you need to print that email? Can you go without printing that order sheet? The less paper used, the less electricity is used to produce it, the less ink used, the less ink cartridges are used, the less plastic is used.
   While it may feel like it's only one paper, it quickly builds up once you consider the knock-on-effects.

8. Reach For The Light Switch
   Exiting a room? Turn off the light. The most simple of changes but so many office spaces & buildings house empty rooms with lights on.

9. No More Standby
   The amount of technology that can sit in standby mode grows year on year. While it can be highly convenient for a very short period of time, make a habit of moving to power on or off, no in-between.

10. Work From Home
    If you're given the option to work from home at any point, this can have a very beneficial effect on the environment. Whether it's just by eliminating your commute to work, this can quickly add up in terms of the carbon footprint that is saved.
11. Reduce Waste
    Does everything need to be thrown away? Similarly to the increase in recycling, try to reduce your overall waste. This can include the likes of ink cartridges or throwing batteries in the standard bin. However your business can reduce its' waste, make an attempt to reduce your carbon footprint in relation to landfill. 
12. Conscious Of The Kettle
    If you're making coffee for 10 or just yourself, be mindful of the amount of water you find yourself adding to make sure you're not using energy to boil water you won't require. Water is still a resource and the less we waste, the better.

This list may not be able to ensure you are carbon neutral, it can definitely help in reducing your carbon footprint. Handy hints like commuting to work & being conscious of your water use can be so simple, yet incredibly effective in making a difference.