Employees urged to get involved in office efficiency

Employers can make businesses more energy efficient by investing in green office supplies, but that does not mean that the onus should rest with them. Instead, employees that would like to enjoy a greener working environment should be encouraged to seize the initiative, office specialist Morgan Lovell claims.

Lara Conaway, sustainability manager at the firm, believes companies can benefit from harnessing the drive of eco-conscious members of staff. "Make sure that there are dedicated staff who have responsibility for energy reduction included in their job description and consider giving them an incentive to increase efficiencies," she suggests. Ms Conaway said that as well as investing in greener technologies, organisations should run campaigns to encourage staff to take simple measures such as turning off monitors.

According to the Sustainable Development Committee, many government offices are not on course to meet their targets for carbon dioxide emissions for 2010-11.