Getting your office to go for the green

While most companies are more focused on staying out of the red than they are on being green, others try to balance both ecological and economic goals. One example: Anthro Corp., a computer-furniture firm based in Oregon that's gaining attention for a six-year-old program to try to produce zero landfill.

Using its own experience as a guide, Anthro Corp. suggests a few simple and practical tips for how employees at any firm can implement an environmental program at work.

*Start with a passion, and send co-workers an invitation to join a recycling committee. Often, concern about the environment is widely shared - but people feel they lack the time to learn exactly what can be recycled or where it should be put.

*Meet your local hauler. Find out what they do with the recycling and what they can do for you. Your hauling fees will be reduced if your trash bins are empty and your recycling tubs are full. And the hauler might actually pay you for some of your recycled materials (cardboard, plastic, metal, etc.).

*Put recycling tubs everywhere. Make it easy for employees to recycle.

*Reuse paper. Keep trays in employees cubes to put paper that is only used on one side. Use it in the copiers and printers.

*Pass it on. Offer hard-to-recycle items to employees, vendors, or local business and community groups. One company's trash may be another's treasure.

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