With Earth Day 2015 now here, we’re all thinking about our environmental footprint. While it’s important that we all do our best to stay green in our daily lives, the organizations that we are a part of can be much more impactful just by making a few easy adjustments.

In conjunction with our tips from last year, below are more helpful suggestions that can turn your environment into a green sustainability machine!

Flip the Light Switch

Did you know that 44% of electricity use in office buildings comes from light alone? Turning off a light when you leave the room just might be the easiest and most effective thing that you can do.

Some lights have timers that will automatically shut them off, and these might be a cost-effective measure to implement. Also, keep an eye out for Energy Star labels on lightbulbs. If you aren’t using these, switching to them will save money on electricity and reduce your footprint by two thirds.

Posting reminders next to switches can be helpful too; remember that it’s a group effort!

Buy LED Light Bulbs

Why use 60 watts for your everyday light bulb when the LED bulb only uses 10 to produce the same amount of light? LED bulbs have dropped in price over the years and can last up to 25 times longer than your traditional light bulbs. Also, LED bulbs can save you money (in some cases in excess of $100 or more) over their lifetime.

Be Smart At the Printer

Save the trees by printing on both sides of the paper, and make sure to recycle all of your old ink cartridges. Ask yourself what could be stored online or shared in an email rather than a print out.

Recycle

If your office break room doesn’t have a recycling bin, consider getting one. Recycling paper, glass, and metal is great for the environment, and easy to do.

Reduce & Reuse

Why waste money on paper towels when you can use reusable products, like a microfiber cleaning cloth? Not only do these nifty cleaning cloths save you money, they’re also an excellent multi-purpose cleaning tool to remove dirt & debris from your desk, computer, phone, sunglasses, inside your car, and more.

Buy a New Toilet That Uses 1.28 Gallons Per Flush Or Less

You can save a lot of gallons of clean drinking water per day just by switching from a toilet that uses 1.6 to 1.28 gallons per flush. Look for models with a Water Sense label as these are not only efficient, they also meet a variety of flushing performance requirements.

Avoid Pouring Anything Down Storm Drains

Storm drains lead to the bay, and most sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants do not remove poisonous cleaners, which can make their way to our ocean putting animals in harm’s way. Click here for more information provided by the EPA on hazardous waste disposal tips.

Take Your Devices Off Their Chargers Once Fully Charged

Portable electronics such as wireless phones, headsets, cordless mice and keyboards that recharge should be taken off their charger when they are fully charged to save electricity and heat. While it may not amount to much in savings of electricity per device, this can add up if everyone partakes in this simple step.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget about the importance of things like recycling and turning off the lights, but it’s important that everybody pitches in. We hope you find this year’s tips beneficial to use at work, home, in school, and share them with your friends!

 Mister Kleen is a leading provider of contract cleaning services to Commercial and High Security facilities since 1976. Our primary service area is the DC Metro region. We also provide a variety of interior and exterior specialty services.