Green Offices Are Our Goal

MacBride Office Furniture believes that we can play a role in reducing the impact that office furniture manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal have on the environment.

We support the efforts of the Sustainable Furniture Council, and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and the principals of “reduce, reuse, recycle” and the “triple bottom line.”

LEED Certification

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the USGBC. It provides third-party verification that a building or its interior build-out was designed and built using strategies designed to maximize energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Leed certified buildings and build-outs may qualify for tax and other incentives offered by federal, state and local governments.

LEED-CI is the standard that applies to building out the interior of an existing structure for as office, retail, manufacturing or other uses. One section of the standard directly addresses the furniture and furnishings that will be used in the completed building. At least 30% of the office furniture a LEED certified interior must be previously used.

MacBride Office Furniture can supply the used furniture and the documentation necessary for the LEED certification process.

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle

Reduce: Consider carefully just what office furniture, equipment, and supplies you need to achieve your goals. Purchase only what you need and use it efficiently. Consider alternatives: Can office sharing reduce your need for furniture? Can the ink cartridges for that new printer you’re purchasing be reused? Do you really need to print out that document?

Reuse: Buying used furniture is the finest example of putting the idea of reuse into action. Office furniture from the major manufacturers is so well built that it often outlasts its original purpose. Buying used not only makes economic sense, it makes environmental sense.

Recycle: When office furniture, equipment, and supplies have outlived their usefulness, recycling them is an environmental imperative. Unfortunately, many manufacturers of low-end office furniture use materials that cannot be recycled and must instead be disposed of in landfills. When you buy new office furniture, ask about its recyclable content.