The Green Office – Tips and trends to enhance office living

The Foundry Corporate Office Complex in downtown Providence is one of the oldest green projects in the city. The former Brown and Sharpe Company manufacturing complex, the Foundry campus has 13 buildings and covers 26 acres. The process of refurbishing these historic buildings is as informative as it is fascinating. It has taken decades, with the last building still in process. And, this restoration program has been used to establish new standards, over time, for being green. Green Office Living is the opportunity to share ways of being green in the office.

Cleaning up the Office Environment – Recycling Electronic Waste Waste from electronic equipment is a growing concern, with only an approximated 18 percent (414,000 tons) of discarded TVs and computer products collected for recycling in 2007. Lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame-retardants are among the substances of concern in electronics. These substances are included in the products for important performance characteristics, but can cause problems if the products are not properly managed at end of life.

Lead is used in glass in TV and PC cathode ray tubes as well as solder and interconnects; older CRTs typically contain on average 4 lbs of lead (sometimes as much as 7 lbs in older CRTs), while newer CRTs contain closer to 2 lbs of lead. Mercury is used in small amount in bulbs to light flat panel computer monitors and notebooks.

Brominated flame-retardants are widely used in plastic cases and cables for fire retardancy; the more problematic ones have been phased out of newer products but remain in older products.

Information courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency- For more information on recycling of e-waste visit: www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/faq.htm!