As time goes  by, the negative impact caused to our wonderful planet by the human race is becoming increasingly obvious to all.

That’s probably the biggest understatement of the year thus far!

We can all as individuals do small things to counteract or reduce the perpetual damage we are causing.

Recycling, for example has been made simple for us both at home and at the office. It is effective and simple  and we’ve been aware of it for years .

There are facilities available to recycle our glass, plastic and metal items. This can be effected at home and by taking the items to a local depot or to convenient recycling areas

We can save power by turning off lights in empty rooms or offices. We can learn to switch off power sources to various appliances and not leave them on ‘standby’.

It is not necessary to drink and eat from disposable plates and cups . Some materials from which these are made may be biodegradable but plenty are not.  A china cup improves the pleasure of drinking a cup of tea or coffee no end. That alone is a real benefit to the consumer.

Bottled water is a real waste of resources when good, clean, drinkable water is so readily available to all.  Recent reports show that the amount of plastic waste from packaging generated each year in the UK alone is estimated at 1.5 million tonnes.  Reducing that figure would do wonders for our environment.

Email is a boon to society and  thanks to the ‘information age’ we can share our ideas, news items, jokes and anecdotes with everyone without the use of paper resources. Just remember not to print! Very few  emails are so important that we need a copy to keep for posterity .

A significant move towards being ‘eco aware’ in the workplace is the use of recycled materials in the production of office furniture. 

A product called Wheatboard has been introduced. It is a by product of wheat straw and would normally  be discarded and burnt or disposed of in landfill sites . It uses no formaldehyde in it’s construction and when produced into sheets, is incredibly versatile as it may be painted, varnished, sealed etc and shaped into many designs.

It’s qualities of being lightweight and extremely durable have made it a viable alternative to wood and a renewable material perfect  for making  office desks, cabinets and cupboards as well as items of furniture for the home.

We can all become ‘eco aware’ whether  at work or home with merely  a little thought and practical application.