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E
Use of Language Practice
i
Read the article. Match the paragraphs (1-9) to the headings (A-J).
There is one extra heading you do not need to use.
Live and Work: D-Link’s Experience
1.
A green office implements practices which reduce waste, decrease energy usage, and strive
to have a neutral impact on the environment. Green offices promote action and awareness, and
educate employees regarding important environmental issues.
Green offices encourage
telecommunication, carpooling and additional practices that help to reduce the company’s overall
carbon footprint. Green offices encourage employees to follow the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and
Recycle.
D-Link Headquarters, for instance, has already made several changes within the past few years that
have had a major impact. These policies are rapidly being rolled out to D-Link business units
throughout the world.
2.
For several years, D-Link
has been a paperless office, which refers to use of email in
addition to the use of electronic files rather than paper. If the need to print materials does arise,
employees generally print double sided pages or print on reused paper with blank side.
3.
Employees were presented the option to give up their personal trash bins.
As a result,
employees have become more conscious of the amount of waste that they produce, and are striving
to reduce the amount of personal debris created on a daily basis. As a result, D-Link Headquarters
has produced 30% less trash per person since 2006.
4.
Low-flow one-touch faucets are installed in restrooms which cut the amount of water used
for hand washing. From 2006 to 2007, the total volume of water used at D-Link Headquarters was
reduced by an average of 17% per month.
5.
Newly installed insulation within the building has led to improved energy efficiency. From
2007 to 2008, the number of kilowatt hours used at the D-Link Headquarters office was reduced an
average of 10% per month. The ambient room temperature is kept at a comfortable level and
efficiently managed through directional ceiling vents.
LCD monitors and standby settings help to reduce the energy used by desktop PCs. Employees are
required to shut down their PCs whenever they leave the office. To save energy, one or more
elevators are shut down during off-peak hours. Elevators are programmed
to service alternating
floors thus reducing redundant traffic. This system has been implemented to encourage employees
to use stairs as much as possible.
6.
The lunchroom at D-Link Headquarters uses only washable/reusable tools, which
significantly reduces the amount of waste created at each meal. Employees who pack their own
lunch are encouraged to use reusable containers.
7.
D-Link Headquarters participates in a comprehensive recycling
program which covers
everything from office paper to plastic bottles. Every floor is equipped with bins separated by
plastic, paper, glass and aluminium in addition to used CDs and batteries to make sure of proper
disposal.
8.
D-Link Headquarters is the first major corporate office in Taipei (Taiwan) to implement a
biodiversity
mini-park, which includes a vegetable garden, lotus pond, and 569
square meters of
green space. This mini-park promotes employee awareness and serves to increase the level of
biodiversity at the office. The algae growing in the lotus pond plays a part in reducing the office’s
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carbon footprint by converting CO2 into breathable oxygen. The company has strategically placed a
vegetable garden and green space to prevent erosion, and purify local water runoff.
9.
On May 23, 2009, D-Link celebrated its first “D-Link Day.” Employees from all across the
company gathered along a hiking trail in Tianmu to collect litter and revitalize the delicate
wilderness area around the mountains. All D-Link Employees are encouraged
to maintain the D-
Link Green philosophy of living green at work and at home outside the office. D-Link employees
follow the 3 R’s, and persuade others to do the same with the understanding that every individual
can make a difference.
