Green Office Week

Green Office Week takes place this week in the UK and throughout the world, as more companies increase environmental awareness in the workplace. The annual week-long event was designed to help the environment and brings companies closer to more fully environmentally conscious and friendly practices.

A study by serviced office providers shows that at any given time, 38% of office space is not used by people. Although that office space is not being actively used, that area is consuming energy - heat or air conditioning and lighting. During Green Office Week, business centres are encouraged to examine how space and resources are used at their facilities, and what improvements can be made to minimize and even eliminate waste of energy and other resources.

Portal Business Centres are already taking proactive measures to do their part - not just for Green Office Week, but every day. The company actively promotes a "culture of green," taking proactive steps toward reducing waste, energy use, and water consumption. Components of this strategy include using email rather than letters and ensuring marketing campaigns are email and internet based, through use of eshots, their website and electronic brochures, and when required printing double-sided copies to maximize paper's use, shutting off small appliances at night.

Portal’s Virtual office clients are already actively working in a greener way, by opting for a workplace set-up that minimizes commutes, helping to decrease their carbon footprints, using meeting rooms and hot desks only when needed.

"Green Office Week is important in raising awareness of these issues," Sallie Maskrey from Portal Business Centres said. "We try to eliminate waste where possible and introduce services where we can help others reduce their carbon footprint through use of our virtual services and meeting rooms."