Transport

Green buildings encourage people to use alternative modes of transport by incorporating cyclist facilities and excellent public transport networks into their design. As a result, people in green buildings use transport twice as much as the average Australian capital city commuter.

Simple solutions

• Educate your staff. Assess your office's contribution to greenhouse gases through their commutes, and then set personal reduction targets. Recognise and reward both office and individual achievements.
• Take part in the national 'walk to work' day. Visit the Walk to Work website for more information about how to participate.
• Start an office car pool. If you drive 25 kilometres to work every day, this trip will produce up to 3.1 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, as well as urban air pollutants. Instead, carpool or take public transport - you'll save on fuel, tolls and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing cars from the road.
• Become a bike friendly workplace. Regular cycling can help control stress, anxiety and depression, and build social connections in the workplace. As a result, cycle-friendly workplaces have greater morale, lower absenteeism and higher productivity. Download Bicycle Victoria's step-by-step guide to creating a cycle-friendly workplace.

Interior green fitouts

• Discourage gas guzzlers. Encourage people to purchase smaller cars by reducing the number of car spaces available or by reconfiguring your office car park to squeeze in more space for small vehicles.

Major refurbishments

• Get on your bike! Many green buildings include bicycle, shower and locker facilities to encourage staff to leave the car at home. 181 William Street in Melbourne, for instance, has more than 100 bike racks with one locker per bike, plus one shower for every 10 bike racks. And at South Australia's 5 Star Green Star City Central Tower 1, for example, an 80% reduction on local planning car-parking allowances achieved significant CO2 reduction by removing 770 cars permanently off the road.