Guoco Tower—A Guide To Going Green
Guoco Tower—A Guide To Going Green
Have you always wanted to do your part for the environment? The good folks at Guoco Tower have some handy tips on how to make a start.
You don’t have to be a superhero to do your part in saving the planet. Here are 5 easy ways to get started.
While virtually all of us are concerned about the environment, it can be difficult to turn that anxiety into action on a daily basis. To many of us, the notion of going green involves making some painful sacrifices and changes to our daily routines.
Thankfully, the good folks at Guoco Tower have some handy, fuss-free ways for you to take your first step into going green. “Being eco-conscious and changing one’s habits doesn’t have to be difficult, but it should be a constant learning journey,” says Sonia, Green Ambassador at Guoco Tower.
As part of facilities management at Guoco Tower, Sonia has experienced first-hand the excessive wastage that is generated on a daily basis. Here are some tips she’s shared on being more eco-conscious and earth loving.
1. Collect Waste Items
These days, recycling goes beyond paper waste, plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Computers, cell phones and other e-waste items are just some of the many material that could be diverted from your local landfill.
Here’re two handy lists of some of the many office materials that you could recycle:
Conventional Biodegradables and Recyclables
Aluminium cans
Bottles
Cardboard
Newspapers
Magazines
Cardboard
Pizza Boxes
E-waste
Batteries
CDs
Computers
Cellphones
Cables
Ink catridges
Light bulbs
Printer cartridges
Protip: Guoco Tower has an Electronic Waste recycling at B1.
2. Get Your Caffeine Fix With Your Own Cup
Here’s a mind-blowing fact: In 2018 alone, Singaporeans consumed up to 5.7 million kilograms of coffee beans in our coffee.
When you imagine the number of cups it would take to serve up that amount of coffee, it’s easy to see how just one element of your life can add up to massive amounts of waste.
While it can be tempting to use the plastic or paper cups provided by your favourite coffee joint, many establishments will be happy to serve you your coffee in your own reusable mug.
As part of Guoco Tower’s Green Initiative, some of the eateries and cafes at Guoco Tower boast exciting offers that will even help you save on your coffee fix.
Establishments like Starbucks, Guzman Y Gomez and Jewel Coffee are all willing to give you a bang for your buck for going green, so mosey on down to find out the details.
3. Recycle Right
While taking the trouble to recycle your plastic waste is already a step in the right direction, attempting to recycle unclean containers can actually do more harm than good.
“One unwashed plastic container filled with leftover soda or leftovers can contaminate an entire bin of plastic goods,” Sonia informs us. “It makes it impossible to recycle the rest of the plastic waste in the recycling bin.”
To avoid causing others’ green efforts from going to waste, always make sure to rinse out soda bottles and clean plastic takeaway containers before disposing them in recycling bins.
4. Unplug After Your Day
No one likes overtime, and that includes your computers, printers and other electricity-guzzling devices!
Being mindful and remembering to turn off all your computers, printers, copiers and other electronics can help to reduce energy usage.
Other pro-tips that may be useful throughout the day include setting your PCs and smartphone to energy efficient settings, and setting your air-conditioner to 25 degrees Celsius and higher while you’re unwinding at home in the evenings.
Computers and smartphones can be set to energy efficient settings with monitors set to shut off over periods of inactivity.
5. Use Your Own Cutlery Instead Of Plastic
According to a report from 2018, Singapore uses 1.76 billion plastic items a year, and less than 20 percent of them are recycled. Shown in numbers, that’s 1,760,000,000.
If the number of zeros in that sum scares you, you can do your part simply by bringing a set of your own cutlery from home, and using it during your lunch breaks.
Besides forks and spoons, other items you could consider using include tote bags instead of plastic bags, and reusable steel straws instead of plastic ones.
