by Sarah Weinreb, Bond Flatiron Member since 2014
Ah, the environment. We all know that we need to take care of our planet, but when it comes down to it, it can be so annoying to change habits. Especially when we don’t immediately see the impact that we are making by way of our waste and environmental inefficiencies.
As the founder of IMBY, an ethical fashion company committed to sustainability in the clothes we source and our practices overall, I have learned some tricks along the way. Here’s a day in the life of a typical Bond Collective member and some ideas of how you can reduce your waste and environmental footprint. I promise, none of them are that hard!
8am: COMMUTE TO WORK
Taking the subway or biking are the most environmentally friendly options. Plus, much faster than sitting in traffic in a cab.
9am: GIMME COFFEE
Coffee time, one of my favorites of the day! Swap out the paper cup for a mug. It’s a nicer drinking experience anyway.
Heading to your favorite coffee shop down the street? Bring a reusable coffee mug. Did you know that 20-30 billion paper cups are thrown away every year?! How disturbing is that.
11am: BIO BREAK
Heading to the bathroom? Enjoy! Use just one paper towel to dry your hands. It’s really all you need! And don’t forget to turn off the lights before you leave.
12:30pm: LUNCH TIME
Time for lunch and it’s always so hard to decide what to eat. Wherever you go, just say no… to a bag and cutlery. Unless you have several items that are hard to hold, most of the time we don’t need a bag to hold our sandwich when we walk a block back to the office. We also have real forks, knives, and spoons in the office, so snag what you need from the kitchen instead of using the dinky plastic ones. Bring from home? Heat your lunch up on a lovely glass plate instead of using paper. Plus, you’ll look classier.
1:30pm: TEAM MEETING
Your marketing team is meeting, and going over the new editorial calendar. Instead of printing out copies for every team member, what about using the TV screens in the conference rooms to digitally show the plan? You can email everyone copies after. Added bonus: less clutter on our desks. Please and thank you.
Want to get water for the team? Try a pitcher and glasses, not plastic cups.
3pm: TIME TO TIDY UP
It’s time to clean off your desk, and get rid of all that junk. Extra papers? Throw them in the recycling bin. Hint: it’s the blue one.
Another hint: Don’t put non-recycling in the recycling bin, it messes everything up!
5pm: HEADING OUT
When you’re leaving the office, make sure all your lights and lamps are turned off, and you are officially powered down for the evening. Bask in the glory of having an empty trash can and knowing you are making a difference. Then take the stairs down to enjoy some exercise and reduce power usage!
If you have one key takeaway, it should be to reduce your waste. Weather it’s a coffee cup or paper bag, printing or paper towels, using less, creating less trash will mean less junk in the landfills, and that’s good news. Plus, you get to enjoy using fancy cups and eating with real silverware, what a treat! What do you do to be more environmental at the office? Let me know!
About the Author:
Sara Weinreb is the Founder of IMBY, which curates capsule wardrobe essentials, helping busy, on-the-go women get dressed effortlessly with responsibly-made clothing. With a background in supporting hundreds of entrepreneurs in building businesses that make a positive impact, Sara launched IMBY as a frustrated consumer wanting to find a simple way to shop for a minimal wardrobe comprised of responsibly made clothing. With one foot in the tech scene and other in the ethical fashion space, Sara also consults to social entrepreneurs and small business owners, facilitates design thinking workshops, is co-founder of the Ethical Fashion Retailers Network, and serves as the entrepreneur in residence at AlleyWatch, the pulse of NYC’s startup and tech.