Help the Bay at Work

Americans spend an average of 40 to 50 hours per week at work and another two hours per week commuting. During that time we affect the environment by creating waste and using energy. So even if you live Bay-consciously at home, you can't forget the Chesapeake from nine to five.

Here's a short list of things you and your colleagues can do to cut down on waste and pollution at work.

Reduce Paper Use

As a nation, we generate 85 million tons of paper waste and use 3.7 million tons of copy paper annually. Instead of cutting down trees, cut down on paper waste by printing less and recording data electronically.

Carpool

Suburban Baltimore and Washington, D.C., workers have some of the longest commute times in America. All of those hours on the road mean higher amounts of vehicle emissions that pollute our air and water. Help reduce pollution from vehicle emissions by sharing rides or taking public transportation.

See what else you can do to help the Bay on the road.

Switch It Off

Make sure to turn off your computer, monitor and office light at the end of the day or before you leave for a long meeting.

Watch this video to learn how much energy a computer uses while it is on and off.

Ditch the Disposables

Instead of using (and throwing away) disposable plates, cups and utensils during your lunch and coffee breaks every day, keep a set of reusable dishware in your office or lunchroom.

Make an effort to bring your lunch to work in reusable containers, rather than getting take-out or heading to a vending machine (which use lots of disposables bags and containers). This will help cut down on the amount of waste entering the Chesapeake watershed's landfills.