From Lars Ronning, CEO of Ailuna – an online platform that helps you develop habits that are good for you and the planet.

With the UK now on a slow but steady path back towards normality, the prospect of returning to the office is at the forefront of our minds. Despite the challenges of working from home, there have been a number of environmentally beneficial effects from staying local and avoiding the commute. Here, Lars Ronning, from impactful habit inducing app Ailuna, outlines 5 easy and effective ways to continue to be environmentally conscious when back at your workplace.

Avoid waste during lunch

By planning and preparing lunch at home, you can use a great deal less packaging and waste less food. For example,  using one bread bag a week which can be recycled, or one bag of pasta which could last ages – as opposed to a daily on-the-go shop bought lunch. Every item of packaging adds up and no matter the material, every item of packaging does not ‘disappear’ once it leaves your office bin. By preparing what you plan to eat, you are able to control portion sizes and ensure you do not unnecessarily waste food. 

Turn your devices off fully 

Did you know that it’s estimated as many as 7,300 hours of electricity is wasted each year, when a device is left on standby? It’s so tempting to leave the office with your computer and devices left sleeping, but it’s so easy to save energy by shutting down completely. Properly switching off your devices can save your office some serious cash, and benefit the planet.

Make use of the sunshine

It’s easy to forget just how much energy workplaces can use, especially when the lights are left on all the time. By encouraging your colleagues to kill the lights and make more use of the windows, you can help save energy and cut the cost of bills. Where necessary, ask your office to replace the ordinary light bulbs for energy saving ones, as they last around 10 times longer and can save you around £45 over the lifetime of the bulb.

Keep the heating in check 

Now it’s getting warmer, do you really need the office heating on full blast? The best temperature to set the thermostat to in spring is 18 degrees. This allows the heating to work at its most efficient and allows for employees to be at a comfortable functioning temperature. Turning the thermostat down by just 1 degree can save approximately 10% on the energy bill! 

Find a more sensible commute!

If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the value of being adaptable. By moving your commute half an hour to avoid rush hour, or by choosing to cycle instead of hop in the car or on the tube, you’ll be contributing to an effort to reduce the environmental impact of the everyday journey to work. Not only will you be benefiting the planet, but by taking yourself away from the crowds, you’ll be keeping people safer.

Ailuna is available to download now from the App Store and Google Play Store. Find out more by visiting www.ailuna.com