Going green at work is an excellent way to do your part in saving the environment. Once you start making your workplace more environmentally sound, you will not only reduce the your own ecological footprint, but you will also influence others to take part in your efforts to promote ecological responsibility. As you begin to make changes, your coworkers will see what you have done and will probably begin to follow suit. Indeed, work is one place where you can make a significant difference in saving the planet.

The easiest way to begin is to use green office supplies. Here are some products to adopt:

1. Recycled paper
2. Organic snacks/coffee
3. Recycled or reusable coffee filters
4. Low energy light bulbs
5. A double-sided printer/copy machine
6. Nontoxic and/or recycled pens and markers
7. Ceramic coffee mugs instead of paper or foam
8. Reusable dishes and silverware
9. Biodegradable, nontoxic soap and other cleaners

If you live in the same neighborhood as some of your coworkers, why not establish a carpool? Not only will you help reduce pollution, but you will all save money on gas and auto repairs. Send out an office email asking if anyone would be interested. You may want to help organize several carpool groups in order to get more people involved.

Another thing you can do is encourage your boss to offer free or reduced cost bus or rail passes in order to promote the use of public transportation. You and your coworkers will be more inclined to take the light rail, bus or subway to work if there is an incentive provided by your employer.

One of the best ways to ease pollution is to work from home. A lot can be accomplished over the internet. If your job can be done just as easily from home as the office, talk to your supervisor about the possibility of telecommuting.

It may be a good idea to test the waters by starting with just one telecommute day per week. If this works out, continue to add more work-from-home days to your regular schedule.

It may seem obvious, but many companies still do not recycle. If yours is one of them, place some recycle bins around the office. Be sure to separate the different types of recyclables. Use one bin for paper products, one for aluminum cans, and another for plastic.

Make sure to alert staff of the new recycling policy with a mass email or posters around the office. Encourage everyone to take part. Explain that you have taken on the mission of "greening" the office, and would appreciate it if everyone did their part.