5 Ways To Be Green At Home -- In The Office

I'm starting a new series called "5 Ways To Be Green At Home".  Each posting will include suggestions for a different room/area of the house.  They are by no means the only ways, but the first five ways that come to mind.  For the most part, the suggestions don't require much effort and may be things that you're already doing and you don't realize it.

The home office is small room that can have a big impact on the environment.  The following are ideas that will be good for the environment and good for your bank account.

1.  Paper is an obvious need in any office.  Make sure to use both sides of the paper before tossing it.  Near your work area, create 3 piles for paper:  1) blank, 2) "scratch", and 3) recyclable.  A horizontal desk organizer would well to contain the piles.  When one side of the blank paper has been used, place it in the "scratch" paper pile to use for jotting down notes and other work that doesn't require blank paper.  When both sides are filled, place the paper in the pile to go out with the recycling.  Junk mail can also be placed in the appropriate piles. 

2.  Save documents and photos electronically and avoid printing hardcopies unless necessary.  This will reduce paper waste and also require less storage room for files.  Change your default settings to black and white for general printing needs.  Note that stores will accept online coupons that have been printed in black and white.

3.  Change the font that you’re currently using.  A study by printer.com has shown that you can save up to 31% in printing costs just by picking a different font.  Their study found that Century Gothic uses the least amount of ink, with Times New Roman not far behind.  Arial used significantly more ink than either of these two fonts.  Additionally, by making changes to your font size, margins, and line spacing, you can reduce the amount of paper required.

4.  If your printer allows, use refillable ink cartridges to reduce the amount of waste into the environment.  If refilling the cartridges isn’t an option, identify a location that will recycle the used cartridges.  Many office supply stores, including Office Max, have programs that will reward you with store credit ($3) for each ink cartridge that you return to them. 

5.  This one has been said for years, but still holds true.  To save on electricity, turn off the computer at night; or at the very least, enable the sleep mode.  This is also good for security reasons.