What is Green Office Guide?

The Green Office Guide helps you buy environmentally friendly office equipment and use it to reduce your operating and environmental costs, including greenhouse gas emissions. This Guide has been produced as part of the National Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Program supported by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. It also promotes the use of Green Power for supplying the office. (Green Power is energy generated from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass and mini-hydro)
Increasingly, leading edge organizations are considering operating costs as well as environmental impacts when they buy their office equipment. For example, they understand that if you buy an energy-efficient photocopier designed to work well with recycled paper and refilled toner cartridges, copy double-sided whenever you can, set up an effective paper recycling system, and set the photocopier to power-save when you're not using it, over its seven-year life you may:

   * reduce the electricity you use by up to 80%
   * save up to 80% on your electricity bill
   * halve your paper and toner bills
   * reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, paper and toner by 75%
   * leave 50 trees in the ground which would otherwise have been chopped down to make paper
   * involve your staff in doing something for the environment
   * increase productivity through improved staff morale
   * enhance your company's profits.

Paper reduction and recycling schemes can reduce the costs and environmental impacts of paper use by 75-95%. To achieve such spectacular savings, effective staff training and feedback on performance are essential.

Sources: http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/government/purchasing/green-office-guide/ http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/eep_requirements.html