Volunteers @ Work

- By Vijayanath Veepuri, Associate Technical Writer, CMA

Volunteers@work is a social work initiative spearheaded by a group of CMA India employees. This initiative was started primarily to provide monetary help to Anandashram, a senior citizens’ home just a stone’s throw from the EMC India office in Bangalore. Anandashram currently houses 27 elderly people along with 11 destitute children. The oldest of the residents at the home is Mrs. Subbalakshmi, who is 86 years old.

The Home is managed by a Trust called Social Workers Brotherhood. Apart from sheltering the aged and the homeless, the ashram has also been endeavoring for the emancipation of women from the underprivileged sections of the society. The ashram views education as a means of empowering women. As a first step towards achieving this objective, the ashram has started a Vocational Training Centre for Women, which provides free classes to equip the women with skills such as sewing, knitting and cooking. The training centre trains about 25 women every year, many of whom have been able to secure jobs in the textile industry after successful completion of the training. The ashram is committed to include computer training to this list in the near future.

Anandashram runs entirely on donations made by individual and corporate donors. Of late, the Home has been facing a financial crunch due to the dwindling of funds from its donors been struggling to provide basic amenities to its inmates. In the wake of the financial crisis perturbing Anandashram, Sunil Kashikar, a CMA Manager, asked CMA India employees to help the ashram. Consequently, the Volunteers@work initiative was born!

The Volunteers@work group maintains a close relationship with the ashram by making frequent visits, interacting closely with both the ashram staff and residents, listening to their problems, assessing their needs and relentlessly working towards fulfilling their requirements. The members meet on the last Friday of every month to discuss the planning, budgeting and execution of the various activities of the Volunteers@work initiative.

The CMA group provides a monthly contribution to cover the deficit in the maintenance costs of the ashram. Apart from providing monetary help, the members of the volunteer group have time and again stepped in to provide the much-needed medicines, toiletries and other supplies to the ashram inmates. At present, the group is working out the logistics of providing an inverter to the ashram, as well as shoes and clothes to the children. The initiative is able to cover only a part of the deficit in the running costs of the ashram due to insufficient funds.

Recently, the group has also volunteered to engage in other social causes, one being creating awareness in the India COE offices about the waste of electronic and paper waste in corporate office environments.

Volunteers@work initiative seeks donations and volunteers to support this humanitarian cause. The initiative runs a blog called http://volunteers-at-work.blogspot.com/ on blogspot.com.
For further information, please contact Vijaya Veepuri at Veepuri_Vijaya@emc.com

Anandashram initiative

- By Apolina Das, Technical Writer, EMC-CMA.

Anandashram, an old age home located at Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, was chosen as the place to start with primarily because of its proximity to the EMC India office. Anandashram currently houses 27 inmates, the oldest member being Mrs. Subhalakshmi at 86 years. The ashram receives donations from individuals and corporate, and is governed by a Trust.

The primary focus of Anandashram is to provide a dwelling place for the aged and homeless. A home away from home where they can spend their life in the company of fellow senior citizens. A life thrown into by circumstances and abandoned hope. Yet with a desire to live, to survive in this harsh world, and say "we can, and on our own"!

The ashram also has separate orphanages for boys and girls at Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore. It conducts free classes for girls from the underprivileged sections of the society to help empower them for the future. Sewing, knitting, and cooking classes are part of this free curricula. The ashram plans to include computer training to this list in the near future.

Volunteers2@work provides help to the ashram in the form of monetary donations, grocery items, and items of immediate need to the ashram or its residents. The group visits the ashram once a month to spend quality time with the aged, talk to them, listen to their life’s woes and joys, imbibe their pearls of wisdom, share a meal, and put a smile on their lips.

Here are some thoights that came out of our trip and meetings.

• Monthly help for the ashram
• Thought of helping the ashram with inverter
• Going to Ashram to meet the folks on every last friday of the month
• Sunil is getting the list of residents with some particulars which will help plan the above meeting

Working Green: 50 Tips To Reduce Your Office’s Waste

Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 2:07pm by admin

By Jessica Hupp

From daily smog to the rising threat of global warming, it’s pretty obvious that we all need to clean up our act a little. Much has been said about how to go about doing this at home, but what about in the workplace? Copiers, computers, even old floppy disks, can make a huge impact on the environment. Here’s are a few ways to reduce your office’s effect.

Paper and printing products

Nearly every office, large or small, relies on large quantities of paper. Check out these tips to help reduce the amount of paper and printing products that are used at your workplace.

1. Use both sides of paper: When making copies, set your machine to use both sides of paper and cut your consumption in half.
2. Shred and reuse unwanted paper: Instead of throwing away old documents, shred them and reuse them as packing material in shipments.
3. Reuse boxes: When you get shipments in, save your boxes so that you can use them again for shipments out.
4. Offer paper recycling: Put a paper recycling receptacle next to every printer, copier and fax machine so that employees can deposit unwanted paper in them. Discuss recycling with your cleaning crew or appoint a person to bring your paper to a recycling center each week.
5. Avoid color printing: Color printing generally uses more ink, so print in black and white when you can.
6. Print in draft mode: To conserve even more ink, print in draft mode. It will generally lighten the shade, but you’ll still be able to read your copy clearly.
7. Buy paper wisely: Create a policy to buy only chlorine-free paper with a high percentage of recycled content.
8. Consider alternative paper: Think about buying paper made from hemp, bamboo or organic cotton.
9. Buy recycled toner and ink: Cartridges contribute metal and plastic to landfills, but buying toner and ink that’s refilled can help alleviate this environmental burden.
10. Distribute memos via email: Instead of printing out memos for distribution, email them and let employees decide whether or not they wish to print them.
11. Store manuals, policies and other documents online: Don’t print out huge employee handbooks. Allow employees to access PDF copies at their leisure.
12. Provide air dryers in the bathroom and common areas: Reduce paper towel waste by providing air dryers as an alternative. Take it a step further and provide reusable towels.
13. Reduce margins: Reduce your margin settings so that your printer uses less paper.

Transportation

You may not consider commuting to be a part of your office’s environmental impact, but your transportation policies can make a large difference. Encourage telecommuting, biking, and other green transportation options by taking these steps.

14. Encourage employees to walk or bike to work: Make walking or biking an easier option by offering showers and private changing areas at your office.
15. Offer a bonus for green commuters: If employees agree to walk, bike, or take public transportation to work, offer them a small bonus for encouragement.
16. Support alternative schedules: Allow employees to work longer hours, but fewer days, in order to let them stay at home once a week or more.
17. Create a carpool program: Many of your employees may want to carpool, but don’t know where coworkers live or simply don’t have the courage to ask around. You can help by administering a program to get them connected.
18. Offer telecommuting: If some or all of your employees’ work can be done at home, give them the option to telecommute.
19. Encourage efficient vehicles: If you provide company cars to employees, consider purchasing hybrids. Additionally, encourage employees to rent hybrids or other high-efficiency cars when they take business trips.
20. Videoconference: Whenever possible, try to videoconference instead of traveling to meetings.
21. Offer bike parking: Provide employees with a secure space to park their bikes in order to encourage this mode of transportation.

Equipment

Manufacturing office equipment contributes greatly to reducing air quality and landfill waste. Consider these tips when you’re purchasing equipment for your business.

22. Buy used furniture: When appointing your office, check out sites like Craigslist or FreeCycle for cheap or free used furniture. You can also check out remanufactured cubicles for both cost and environmental savings.
23. Recycle floppy disks: Turn your old floppy disks into a pen cup or other useful storage unit.
24. Buy used copiers and faxes: Manufacturing equipment like copiers and faxes creates lots of waste. Buy used equipment to eliminate waste, but make sure that they are still efficient.
25. Unplug equipment when not in use: Encourage employees to shut down and unplug copiers, printers and other equipment when they leave the office every evening.
26. Recycle your e-waste.: Cell phones, computers, printers and other equipment can often be recycled. Look for recycling programs in your area that accept these kinds of materials.
27. Buy high-quality equipment: When buying equipment, be sure to purchase something that will last and not become obsolete quickly. That way, you’ll avoid having to buy new equipment and contributing to manufacturing waste.

Electricity

Small changes in air conditioning, lighting, and fixtures can make a huge difference in your energy consumption. Follow these guidelines to save the environment and save on your electricity bill.

28. Change your thermostat: Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer. Encourage employees to bring personal fans and sweaters to ensure that they stay comfortable.
29. Switch to compact fluorescent bulbs: As your current light bulbs burn out, replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs. They are more efficient and last much longer than traditional bulbs.
30. Buy from a green energy company: Many utility companies generate their electricity using wind or other alternative energy sources. Consider purchasing your electricity from one of these companies.
31. Create an after hours and weekend thermostat setting: If you know your employees aren’t going to be in the office, create a setting that conserves more energy during these hours. Be sure to allow an override function so that it can be changed if someone decides to come in to work.
32. Turn off lights when not in use: Ask employees to turn off lights when they leave. Invest in automatic switches in places like the bathroom and supply areas so that they turn on and off whenever someone enters or leaves the room.
33. Take advantage of natural lighting: Install windows and skylights so that you can use natural daytime light instead of electrical lighting.
34. Buy Energy Star fixtures: When buying fixtures, look for the Energy Star label to save at least two-thirds less energy than regular ones.
35. Unplug vending machines: When your office goes on vacation or leaves for the weekend, unplug vending machines.

Computers

Like other appliances, computers can be major energy hogs. Adjust screen savers, energy plans and quality to streamline your company’s computer efficiency.

36. Unplug computers when not in use: Encourage employees to shut down and unplug their computers when they leave the office for the day.
37. Buy for quality: When shopping for computers, buy units that will last and avoid becoming obsolete too quickly. This way, you’ll avoid contributing to e-waste.
38. Buy for energy savings: When shopping, be sure to ask if your computers, monitors and printers are energy efficient.
39. Give your computer a nap: Ask your IT department to set your computers to go to sleep when not in use. Creating short energy breaks can cut energy use by up to 70 percent.
40. Banish screen savers: Make sure that employees know screen savers won’t save energy. They eat up lighting and processing energy. Instead, set screen savers to “none” or “blank screen.”
41. Buy smaller monitors: You can reduce your monitor’s consumption by up to 30% by using a 2 inch smaller monitor.
42. Consider laptops: Consider buying laptops instead of desktops, as they generally use less energy and are more efficiently made.

Miscellaneous

Every little thing adds up when it comes to office waste. Check out these tips for even more ways to reduce your consumption at work.

43. Use simple cleaning supplies: Discuss cleaning supplies with your maintenance crew. Ask them to consider using cleaners like baking soda or vinegar instead of commercial products.
44. Do the dishes: Provide reusable dishes, silverware and glasses for luncheons.
45. Provide filtered water: Instead of bottled water, provide employees with filtered drinking water and reusable cups.
46. Install low-flow faucets and toilets: Help conserve water by installing low-flow faucets and toilets in restrooms and other common areas. This will also help conserve electricity by reducing your water heater’s output.
47. Buy local, organic coffee and tea: If you provide coffee or tea service to employees, be sure that it’s local and organic to reduce your environmental impact.
48. Consider office sharing: If you have a number of employees that don’t use the office regularly, consider assigning offices based on a schedule. You’ll save on utilities, equipment, furniture and more.
49. Plant a tree for gifts: In lieu of sending a holiday gift to clients, plant a tree in their name.
50. Buy sugar and cream dispensers: Avoid paper packets and save waste by offering employees sugar and cream in large dispensers.

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Original post:
Working Green: 50 Tips To Reduce Your Office’s Waste

Ten things to do to stop (or slow down) global warming

Here are 10 simple things you can do and how much carbon dioxide you'll save doing them.

Change a light
Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Drive less
Walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit more often. You'll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don't drive!

Recycle more
You can save 2.400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.

Check your tires
Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!

Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year).

Avoid products with a lot of packaging
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

Adjust your thermostat
Moving your thermostat just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer you could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

Turn off electronic devices
Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you're not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Spread the word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please see http://www.saahas.org

How to cut down on paper usage at workplace

Here's how you can cut down on paper usage at work. Paper is wasted more than any other item in offices. You also use paper more than anything else in your office.

1. Measure the amount of paper that you use in your office.

Looking at where paper is used in office.

Consider whether or not you and your employees are using these following paper and cost saving measures within your office:
are you cutting down on how many images/documents are being printed and/or copied? You can do this through the following:

• --viewing documents online
• --keeping mailing lists current
• --using routing slips
• --making more use of email instead of printed memos
• --reduce how many times things are being unnecessarily printed

are you collecting and recycling paper in your office?
are you regularly purchasing recycled paper?
do you recycle paper by using left-over paper as scratch paper?
can you reduce the size of paper used?
are you making employees aware of how they can cut down on paper?

2. Consider a paperless office.

Many people are trying to move towards making their offices and businesses entirely paperless. This approach has some drawbacks and some benefits. Here's an overview of why you would want to and why you might not want to make your office paperless. While you will save costs on your paper, you might rack up costs in other areas, including a reduction of productivity until your employees learn how to use the new systems.

Essentially, a paperless office makes use of different technologies and information systems in an effort to reduce the amount of paper that is used throughout the office. This ideally will result in reducing costs and increasing effectiveness.

With a paperless office, you will actually just send your document to a receiving machine straight from your computer. Then every letter that is on the document is processed as text through the use of Optical Character Recognition, so that you can use Microsoft Word to edit the document without too much hassle.

4. Use content management systems

You can make use of content management systems to allow all employees to access a document and work on it collaboratively. You can set up access to the document so that only people working on a project have access to the project.

5. Pros of paperless offices

a. cost efficiency
b. time efficiency
c. better organization
d. potential to cut down on mistakes

6. Cons of paperless offices

a. you won't actually stop using paper
b. your computers can crash and destroy your office
c. need for constant updates
d. need to constantly upgrade technology
e. have to fight against the mindset of the office

Our first 'small' step...

Monday, July 16, 2007. Yes, on that lazy noon, we took our first 'small' step towards creating general awareness about reuse of waste paper. "We"! Well, that includes, I, Nivs (Nivedita), Cindz (Cinduja), Nir (Niraj), and good ol' Santy (Santosh).

Off we started collecting a few sheets of waste paper (actually, torn paper or paper with one-sided print), jotted down a few tips on optimal use or reuse of paper, and pasted the awareness chits around cubicles. There were quite a few curious co-workers and a few naughty ones too, who simply wanted to put their hands on those awareness chits and tear them apart. Of course, they were being playful!

Our first lessons learned: the writing on the chits were pretty small, barely visible from a short distance, and quite bland. I second Harish that we should have more colorful, eye-catching, and more visible chits next time.

(Well, life always gives a second chance, doesn't it?)