StyleMyCube

For the environmentally conscious, going green can extend into your office.  If your company doesn’t already have a recycling program, look into starting one.  Try to reduce usage by bringing in a washable coffee mug or photocopying on both sides of the page.  Try carpooling to work (Note: a friend of ours has started a carpooling website called rideamigos.com).  Small steps like this can make a big environmental difference… plus it’s an easy way to show leadership and innovation around the office.  Also, there is a company called The Green Office which specializes in green office products.  Each of their products is rated according to a “Green Screen” Key, which denotes the products as recycled content, biodegradable or compostable, or reduced chemical content. 

Setting up your desk so that it is ergonomically correct will help resolve life’s complex questions such as: is my pounding headache caused from happy hour last night or from the annoying angle of my neck as I stare at this mindless spreadsheet on my computer? All kidding aside, desktop ergonomics has become a huge industry over the last few years with large companies hiring private consultants to evaluate worksite setups and has generated such buzzwords as “neutral body positioning” a.k.a. “a comfortable working posture in which your joints are naturally aligned.” Making a few adjustments to how your cube is setup can improve the quality of your life on a daily basis. As such, we turn to the real ergonomic experts “OSHA” (or the long-winded version: US Department of Labor – Occupational Safety & Health Administration) for the following tips on how to produce an ergonomically correct workstation:

* Your head should be in-line with the torso and approximately 20-4o inches from your monitor. The top of the monitor should be at or slightly below (15-20 degrees) eye level.

* Your shoulders should be relaxed with your upper arms hanging comfortably at the side of your body. Your elbows should be close to your body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees. Your hands, wrists, and forearms should all be straight, in-line and roughly parallel to the floor. Consider a wrist pad if your wrists tend to bend while you type.

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Switching jobs, one inevitably finds a new cube which has been hapazardly deserted by its previous occupant– complete with stray pen marks on the desk, dust in the corners, and crumbs in the drawers. In addition, there are the horror stories about desk tops having more bacteria than your average public toilet seat at almost 21,000 germs per square inch! In order to transform your cube to create a somewhat sanitary environment look to the following products:

Mrs. Meyers Countertop Spray – an all natural product made of essential biodegradable substances that won’t leave your entire office gagging on the toxic fumes emanating from your cube. Also, a similar product that is available at your local Target store is called Cleannote.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - A sponge-like cleaning product that will dissolve any hard to clean stray marks with minimal rubbing. Unfortunately you won’t be getting Mr. Clean’s muscley arms anytime soon with this wimp-friendly product.

Swiffer Sheets - A great dust gather and crumb picker-upper, that you should use at least once a week, plus once you’re finished they’re fun to look at to see how dirty your desk was… it actually makes you feel like you accomplished something for the day!

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