The Adventure Travel Company Supports Greener Workplaces

A greener workplace can mean a lighter ecological footprint and a healthier and more productive place to work. At The Adventure Travel Company we have undertaken a company-wide review to see how we can create low-impact workplaces.

Here are a few of the ways The Adventure Travel Company is 'greening' our workplaces:

1. More work, less energy
   For our shops, a computer is the central tool at work. Optimizing the energy settings for computers and other devices can be more than a modest energy saver. We are setting computers to energy-saving settings and making sure to shut them down when we leave for the day ("standby" settings will continue to draw power even when not in use). By plugging hardware into a power strip with an on/off switch (or a smart power strip), our whole desktop setup can be turned off at once. Printers, scanners, and other peripherals that are only used occasionally in our shops are unplugged until they're needed. And of course, we turn off lights in spaces that are unoccupied.
2. We digitize
   It does seem a bit strange that in the "digital age" we all still consume enormous amounts of mashed up, bleached tree pulp, most of which gets used once or twice and then tossed or recycled. The greenest paper is no paper at all, so we try to keep things digital and dematerialized whenever possible. We often keep files on computers instead of in file cabinets and review documents onscreen rather than printing them out. Naturally we send emails instead of paper letters whenever possible.

3. Select ATC staff are working from home
   Instant messaging, video conferencing, and other innovative workflow tools make effective telecommuting a reality. More of our Administrative Staff than ever are telecommuting, holding phone conferences and taking online classes. It saves us the time we would have spent on the trip as well as sparing the air (As a bonus, we get to work in our pajamas!).
4. We use green materials
   Some paper use can't be avoided, so we use recycled paper and envelopes that have been processed and colored using eco-friendly methods. We use biodegradable soaps and recycled paper or cloth towels in the bathroom and kitchen and buy in bulk so that shipping and packaging waste are reduced. Recycling printer cartridges is often free, and recycled replacements are cheaper than new ones.
5. Redesigning our workspace
   Greening the space in which you work has almost limitless possibilities. Incandescent bulbs are being replaced with compact fluorescents. We realize that not only is natural daylight a free source of lighting for the office, it has been proven to improve worker productivity and satisfaction. Workspace air quality is also crucial. Good ventilation and low-VOC paints and materials (such as furniture and carpet) keep our employees healthy.
6. Hybrid Vehicles
   When our staff travel for business it is our policy to rent Hybrid cars where possible. The hybrid vehicles offered by many Car Rental companies include the Toyota Prius, Toyota Highlander and new Honda Civic Hybrid models and are equipped with integrated charging systems which eliminate the need to be recharged from an outside source. Half electric and half gasoline powered, each gets nearly 50 miles to a gallon and has a range of about 600 miles per tank of gas.

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