Earth Day

Sharlyn Lauby

22 Apr 2009

Today is Earth Day, designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the environment. A time for all of us to remember that it’s everyone’s responsibility to treat our planet with care.

If you were not aware of it (and I wasn’t) the government has a website with tons of resources (http://www.epa.gov/earthday). There are tips for home, school and work. Lots of good info to share with friends and co-workers…be sure to check it out.

As you know, I made a resolution to incorporate more ‘green’ initiatives into my life. Of course, I’m doing the usual stuff – changing out the light bulbs, recycling, etc. And, I’ve found several iPhone apps that offer green tips. One of my faves is Get Green. It allows me to email cool info to my friends.

But I’m also doing some unusual stuff too. My latest is to buy reusable, eco-friendly bags for gift bags. I just recently started doing this…instead of spending a lot of money on a gift bag that gets thrown in the garbage, I use an eco-friendly, reusable grocery bag. It’s cheaper and it’s like getting two gifts in one.

There are a lot of things we can do to be more eco-friendly in the workplace. I asked Terri Marshall, a Green Life Coach, for some tips we can incorporate into our offices. Here are some of the great ideas she shared:

For computers and electronics:

Use a power strip that’s easy to power off on at night to save electricity. Computers left on overnight waste over $1 billion/annually in the US. So flip one switch to save massive amounts in electricity.
Refill printer/fax/copier toner cartridges instead of buying new ones. A single printer cartridge can be refilled up to a dozen times. Refilling is less than half the expense of buying new.

With office supplies:

Stop buying disposable pens! Spend a little extra money and replace the refill cartridges for the pens.
Use recycled printer paper and then recycle again. On mistakes, use the paper as scratch paper, or print on both sides. Instead of throwing paper away, shred it to use for packaging. Instead of stickies, use scrap paper from those printing mistakes.
Reuse file folders by applying another label on the tab.
Buy supplies from suppliers that support recycling and green initiatives.

At the next office party:

Buy from local organic suppliers to support the local community.
Install a filter on the water facet for drinking water. This eliminates the reason for bottled water and the plastic bottles. Supply reusable plates, flatware & glasses for those birthday parties and working lunches.

A big thanks to Terri for the terrific tips! Drop me a comment about what you’re doing to save the planet. Love to hear your ideas.