Many workplaces today are adopting green policies and practices, but are they noticeable at desk level?

When looking around a computer station, it’s easy to notice all of the paper strewn about, disposable coffee cups piled up and the computer chugging away, even while not in use.

Individuals can start improving their indoor environment at work, starting with their desks. While recycling paper is important, reducing paper consumption is an even better option. Switch printer options to print on both sides of the paper. When going to get a cup of coffee in the morning, bring a reusable mug, don’t take the throw-away cup. And finally, change the settings on computers so they go into sleep mode after 10 minutes instead using up all that energy when they are not in use.

Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin co-authored True Green @ Work, a guide that provides these as well as countless others ways (100, in fact) to make the office environment greener. Click here to find out more about this book and how you can get a copy for your office.

With Earth Day right around the corner, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll see plenty of green deals in stores and online in the coming weeks. I found a good one recently over at The Daily Green. Hewlett Packard is offering coupons throughout April any time you take back equipment through HP’s computer recycling program. Turn in any personal/office computer equipment or peripherals, and HP will hand out coupons for HP computers and printers.This is a great deal to circulate around any small office, especially because quite a large number of HP printers you can buy with the coupons are EcoLogo-certified. Just another example of HP’s demonstrated commitment to the environment.

Check out other deals this month over at The Daily Green.

Green Daily reports today on the really distressing news that more than two thirds of retail furniture tested in the San Francisco area contained halogenated fire retardants, which “have been linked to cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption, reproductive dysfunction and several learning disabilities.” The site then goes on to list eco-friendly furniture alternatives, and I thought I’d do my part and add a few office furniture options here.

• Snyder contemporary two-seater sofa
• Penguin lounge chair
• Hosta lounge chair
• Teknion wood tables

Note that fire retardants are also an issue in the plastic casing found on some office machines.

Green Biz reports in a recent article that small businesses make up 99.9% of all businesses in the US and employ half the private sector workforce. Put together that represents a lot of clout - whether you’re talking about lobbying Congress or influencing an environmental movement.

Of course, each small business is its own entity, which means that individuals in these companies have to take on the challenge of making big changes. It’s fun, however, to play the “What if?” game. What if every small business in the US instituted a green procurement policy? Replaced incandescent light bulbs with CFLs? Reduced waste? Increased energy efficiency? Imagine the impact.

Fortunately, there are a number of resources for small companies looking to do their part. The Green Biz article points to the Small Business Environmental Home Page, for example, which links to a phenomenal number of local resources across the country. And EcoLogo can help with your green shopping list for office purchases. Find green products in the categories of:

• Office furniture
• Office paneling
• Office machines and printing cartridges
• Paper products including forms and envelopes
• Pens and pencils

Small business. Big impact.

Until this year, there were different EcoLogo standards for photocopiers, fax machines and laser printers. The criteria for these standards, first instituted in 1998, are now being combined into one updated standard along with requirements for multifunctional devices and mailing machines. The standard will go into effect at the end of March.

So what does it take to make a green office machine? And how has EcoLogo’s criteria changed in ten years? You can read the full documentation on the standard here, but I thought I’d highlight a few items specifically that are new in 2008.

First, there are new chemical requirements. For example, the new EcoLogo standard mandates compliance with the RoHS directive with regard to restrictions on certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It also includes criteria for the plastic casing parts on any office machine. To win EcoLogo certification, casings must not be manufactured with the following flame retardants:

• Poly-brominated biphenyls (PBBs)
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
• Chloroparaffin flame retardents with chain length 10 to 17 carbon atoms, and chlorine content greater than 50% by weight

These substances are all environmentally toxic, and sales of products manufactured with these chemicals have been banned in some countries and states.

Second, there are new requirements on product recycling and re-use. Interestingly, this has a lot less to do with what’s in a product and much more to do with the behavior of manufacturing companies at the end of a product’s life. For example, there are EcoLogo guidelines in the office machine standard not only for waste diversion, but also for collection of office machines at the end of their use for proper processing. If a local collection program is not in place already, the manufacturer must offer one.

Green offices are a new frontier, and green office machines are a great way to start making a difference.

Tis the season for resolutions and the green blogs are full of them. Green Daily says three quarters of Americans plan to be more environmentally responsible in 2008. The Green Daily has a Top Seven resolutions list that includes using recycled paper products at home and reusable bags for grocery shopping. Here’s our contribution to the New Year’s resolution melee. You can start small and still make a big difference in the next 12 months.

Clean Green
Even if your home isn’t spic and span, the occasional good scrubbing can use an awful lot of liquid cleaner. In 2008, consider using a greener cleaner for wiping down bathtubs and countertops. The EcoLogo standard for environmentally-preferable cleaners includes strict requirements for toxicity, biodegradability and bioaccumulation, prohibited and restricted compounds, physical properties and packaging. In addition to being better for your health, these cleaners reduce the potential for smog formation, ozone depletion and greater landfill waste.

Product spotlight: Looking for an EcoLogo-certified cleaner to start the year off right? Among many other options, check out “Imus Greening the Cleaning” cleaner on retail shelves.

Become a Green Advocate at Work
Whether you work in small office or a large corporation, you can make your voice heard in the procurement office (or the admin assistant’s cubicle, as the case may be). Let the person in charge of buying office supplies know that you are in favor of greener materials, and provide information on the purchasing options available. Pick one category of products to start: paper, envelopes, garbage bags, cleaning supplies, office machines, you name it. There’s probably a greener alternative than the one that’s currently being used.

Product spotlight: Boise Aspen brand paper meets EcoLogo requirements, scoring well across an array of categories including resource consumption and energy use in the manufacturing process. Plug in your zip code to see where to buy.

Make Home Improvement an Environmental Improvement
Spring seems like an awfully long time away, but in a few more months you’ll likely start thinking about new home improvement projects for the year. Before you start making plans, consider the materials you could be using. From paint to flooring, there are environmentally-preferable options out there.

Product Spotlight: Start your painting job with a greener primer - one with a low concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). There are many choices, including Benjamin Moore’s Fresh Start All Purpose Primer. (Product fact sheet in PDF form)