GOING GREEN IN THE OFFICE

In municipal offices all across Canada, elected officials and staff are working to improve conservation and make our communities greener.

But just how "green" are the offices in which that work is done?

It's a question that Canadian municipalities are increasingly asking themselves - and it's leading to a number of innovative steps to ensure the answer is one they can be proud of.

As Ontario's largest municipal association, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) understands that, in addition to providing supportive programs and services, it is essential to reflect conservation principles in its day-to-day operations.

Greening of AMO's Office

AMO believes that the path to a sustainable work environment is paved by taking practical and affordable steps today, and leveraging those fiscal and environmental gains over time.

It's an idea AMO put into practice when it relocated offices in May 2007. It used the move as an opportunity to improve conservation in the office. The first step was to find out what options made sense for a single floor within the built environment of an older 14-story office building in downtown Toronto.

AMO discovered that it was possible - and affordable - to furnish the entire office with work stations composed of recycled materials. Today, all of AMO's office furniture, from desks and chairs to wall dividers and carpeting, are composed of materials that would normally be sent to a landfill.

Made from recycled wood, polypropylene and polyester, furnishings are also recyclable at the end of their lifespan, and the manufacturing process uses a powder coating that does not contain liquids, solvents, lead or volatile organic compounds.

Other AMO initiatives range from practical energy-saving steps, including installing energy saving light bulbs and motion detector lighting in low traffic areas, to more substantial investments that include powering the office with green energy - a step it started in 2004.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy - energy generated by wind and low-impact hydro - is one of the most impacting steps that any office can take to reduce its environmental footprint. Between heating and cooling, the constant use of office electronics, and chronic paper use, many of our worst environmental sins are committed on the job. Switching to renewable energy, however, makes a profound quantifiable...