DO YOU KNOW OF THE UK’S GREENEST OFFICE?

If you know of a company which is home to innovative green initiatives and staff who are keen recyclers and energy savers, then this is your chance to nominate that company for a new national award.

And by simply nominating the company that has impressed you, you could win a prize worth over £400! Everyone who nominates a company will go into a draw to win £300 worth of Center Parcs vouchers, and a Ricoh R50 10 megapixel camera. They will also receive a 25 per cent off discount voucher to be redeemed at Cartridge World. The Greenest Office Award was launched in September 2009 and is a national search for the office that can best demonstrate ‘green’ practices and energy saving activities. The competition has been launched by Cartridge World the UK’s leading retailer of refilled and remanufactured printer cartridges, in partnership with carbon offsetting company, co2balance. Mark Holland, UK General Manager for Cartridge World, said: “This is not about the biggest company or the one with the biggest budget. It is about innovative ideas and genuine commitment from the staff. Whatever its size, the UK’s Greenest Office will be an inspiration to other companies and an example of best practice for environmental procedures. “If you have been impressed by a company’s green policies, then nominate it. The business community in the UK can do so much more to reduce carbon emissions, and one way of driving this forward is to highlight the companies that are truly ‘green’.” To nominate a company, or enter the competition, visit www.cartridgeworld.co.uk/greenestoffice. The deadline for submitting nominations is November 22nd, 2009 and the deadline for entries is November 30th, 2009. The competition is free to enter, and is open to all companies across the UK, whatever their size. It will highlight successful initiatives with the aim of inspiring more companies to follow suit and adopt green practices. The competition is split into six regional categories; Scotland and North East England; North West England; Midlands; Wales and the South West; London and the South East; and Northern Ireland. The winner from each region will progress to the final shortlist, from where one overall winner will be named The UK’s Greenest Office. The company crowned the UK’s Greenest Office will receive a Carbon Footprint Assessment, Management and Accreditation from co2balance, the award-winning company that helps businesses become ‘carbon zero’ with carbon assessment, management and offsetting services. The competition underpins Cartridge World’s commitment to the environment. Cartridge World provides the ‘green’ alternative to buying replacement inkjet and laser printer cartridges, preventing empty cartridges from being thrown needlessly into landfill, where over 45 million are sent annually in the UK*, each taking up to 1,000 years to decompose**. Cartridge World is the market-leading retailer of refilled and remanufactured printer cartridges. Using specifically formulated inks or toners, the Cartridge World stores can refill all major brands of inkjet or laser cartridge. The end result is a high quality product offering the customer substantial savings on the cost of an original and an environmentally friendly alternative to throwing the cartridge into landfill. Co2balance ltd is a leading carbon management provider offering carbon calculation, management and reduction services together with an ethical way to offset greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency projects in Africa and Asia. For more information visit the website at www.co2balance.com. ENDS Editor’s notes: Prizes for regional winners will include IntelliPannels from One Click Technologies, Ricoh digital cameras, a Toshiba L500 Satellite laptop computer, and a year’s supply of free cartridge refills by Cartridge World. Co2balance will calculate and offset the carbon emissions of the overall winner - up to 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide - and offer a reduced rate to offset any remaining carbon emissions the company has. For further information on Cartridge World, visit www.cartridgeworld.co.uk. Cartridge World has almost 250 stores in the UK. It was launched in Australia in 1988 and now operates more than 1,600 franchises in over 50 countries. Over 45 million printer cartridges are sent to UK landfill sites each year*. Each cartridge can take up to 1,000 years to decompose**. Cartridge World promotes the refilling and reuse of printer cartridges as a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly alternative to sending them to landfill. *UK Cartridge Remanufacture Association, 2006. **International Imaging Technology Council, http://www.consumerchoice.info/faq.htm, October 2008. Co2balance works with business to help them reduce their impact on climate change. They provide simple, practical and cost-effective ways for clients to reduce their carbon footprint, and then balance their unavoidable emission through investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy and afforestation projects. For more information, log on to www.co2balance.com.