Watch your wasteline at work

MORE and more offices are "greening up" for various reasons, from saving money and energy to providing a pleasant setting for employees. At the Co-operative Bank's London administrative centre in the City's Prescot Street, every secretary has a recycling box on her desk. "Everything that can be recycled goes into our green bins," says Ann Eccles, 53, secretary to senior manager Ken Dyson. "Even our printer cartridges and toners can be recycled. We use suppliers who provide environmentally friendly office products. But we also have green bins for cans, bottles and paper cups on every floor, plus office lighting that switches on and off automatically."

Eccles can treat herself to an organic breakfast in the bank's caf, including eggs and bacon and a range of vegetarian dishes. Besides being "green", the office surroundings are pleasant: light, quiet and airy.

The bank set up an environmental-awareness scheme, called Green Genie, some years ago and secretarial meetings on office recycling are held regularly.

There is an annual company award for the best Green Genie group. "We intend to win next time," says Eccles.

She has been with the company for 16 years and remembers the pre- green days.

"Everything was much more untidy then, with filing cabinets full of paper and a lot of waste. The office wasn't a pretty sight. But if you provide all the bins and remind people gently, any office can go green. The worst offenders are people who throw paper away when it could be recycled: sometimes I have to tick them off. But with green bins right next to coffee machines (the coffee is fair-traded by the way) people begin to recycle without thinking."

On the other side of London, there's a cactus on top of Mubiyna Allain's computer.

"It helps to absorb harmful rays, so we all have one. This office is green all through," explains Allain, 30, office manager of Planet Organic in Notting Hill Gate. "We even use green company insurers, Naturesave, as part of its profits go towards saving otters in Devon. Our office recycles paper, we use soya-based inks and we send our old copier and fax machine cartridges to be recycled."

Allain likes to be green in every area of her life. "My perfume is rose gardenia, and my toothpaste is from Green People. If I have a headache I rub some oil of peppermint on my forehead: it really works."

This is her first job in an office which is organic-aware and she loves it.

"There are no bright lights and the windows are usually open: you feel so well."

Lauren Pett, 25, of Pure Modern Lifestyle magazine, multitasks between her secretarial duties and acting as assistant editor. Even when she calls a courier, he's an " organic " one from streetbike.net (push-bike not motorcycle). Energy-efficient lights, recycled loo rolls and fair-traded coffee in real china mugs are all part of her working day. "We don't have flowers because none of us believes in cutting them," she says. "And we supply our office cleaner with Ecover, a range of environmentally friendly cleaning materials."

When it comes to food, Pett sticks to the eco line. "I have an organic food box delivered regularly to my flat so I'll bring in a wholemeal sandwich with organic roasted veg. It's worth the effort.

Instead of paying 3 for a sandwich, it costs less than 50p." And if she and colleagues crave a pub lunch, they go next door to the Islington Duke of Cambridge which offers 100 per cent organic beer and wines.

Rita Leighton, 59, is PA to the manager of the Epsom-based Greenman group, which produces eco-friendly computer consumables. "I type reports on both sides of the paper if they are for office use," she says. "We go as far as we can in saving energy: every other fluorescent bulb is removed and every office toilet has the flush reduced by half-a-litre: we save 100,000 litres of water a year that way.

"Our office may not look very different but we are driven by the desire to be as green as possible and new secretaries learn about going green in their induction."

How your office can go green

Keep a recycling box by your desk

Collect paper and toner cartridges for recycling

Repair furniture and equipment or buy it second-hand

Fit low-energy light bulbs

Don't leave computers and printers on overnight

Re-use all envelopes

Use eco-friendly cleaning materials

Stock up with recycled copy paper and stationery

Return unwanted junk mail to sender

Further information

Business Eco Network (020 8288 9333) offers advice and workshops

Wastebusters (wastebusters .co.uk): part of Waste Watch, a national organisation promoting waste reduction and recycling.

London Environment Centre (lgu.ac.uk/lec): provides advice and training to businesses

Green Guide London Edition (9.99, Green Guide Publishing): directory of green goods and services in London.

Call 020 7354 2709 for copies.

Friends of the Earth (020 7490 1555): advice and info

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