This article could just as easily have been entitled “How to save the world and money using just your office”, because in the modern world, one almost certainly leads to the other. Being environmentally conscious used to be viewed among managers as an expensive pastime. Now, it is bad business sense not to be, as saving energy prevents unnecessary expenditure and creates a superior working environment.

Firstly, the big energy savers take care of issues that occur before you even set foot in the office. Commuting costs the time, money, energy and patience of your employees – therefore decide whether it really is necessary to have them there for five days a week. As this week’s events have shown, flexible working has many other benefits, and this is one of them. For those who have to travel into work, suggest carpools – where the informal setting of the journeys may even aid innovative, work-related thought processes and discussion. Cycling or walking when the weather is right could also benefit the mood, and therefore productivity, of those workers once they reach their desks.

Inside the office environment, the simple stuff almost goes without saying: turn off equipment at the end of the day; use green and recycled materials throughout; stop using paper towels; dispense with styrofoam cups and embrace the humble mug, for it will save you money. Consider casual dress in the summer, saving on air conditioning costs, and invest in a programmable thermostat to prevent needless warming. Recycle absolutely everything you can.

Finally, on a longer-term outlook, consider how efficient the insulation of your building is. You could be losing heat, and therefore money, through the walls. With today’s technology, it is vital to consider moving to a truly paperless office – if most of your employees have smartphones or laptops, they don’t need to be printing anything out at all. Most of all, lead by example, as others will follow, but make sure you listen to your employees’ thoughts on these topics. They may have thought of an energy-saving idea that not even the managers have considered.