Ways to Reduce Office Waste

Go Green in 2014: Week 8

lilszeto / http://www.flickr.com/photos/mszeto/

Printing is a huge source of waste in the office, and between the paper and the ink, it can eventually start to get costly. I rarely print at home anymore, except when necessary, but at work, I have to print orders quite frequently.

Even though I try not to print any more than I need to, sometimes when printing an email, a second page will print with only a few words on it. I normally tear the extra paper into fourths and add it to my stack of scratch paper.

That stack of scratch paper can build up quickly!

This year, I have been trying to cut back on my office waste, so I have been trying harder to only print the first page. When I forget and the second page prints out, I can always add it to my stack of scratch paper.

Besides reducing printing waste, what are some other ways to go green in the office?

Ways to go green in the office

• Save energy by utilizing natural light. If given the option, position your desk near a window and open the blinds or curtains during daylight hours. Just make sure your computer screen is at a 90-degree angle to the window; if you are facing the window, you will find yourself squinting to see, and if your back is to the window, you will get a glare on the screen.
• Save heating and cooling costs by layering your clothes. I'll admit, I use a space heater at work during the winter, because I get cold easily. But at home, when I'm writing, I wear comfortable clothes and wrap up in a blanket - sometimes even in the summer. Dress for the season, but bring a sweater along, in case you get chilly.
• Start an office recycling bin. After shredding old documents, recycle them rather than tossing in the trash. And remember to recycle those plastic bottles and aluminum cans! Or, rather than using plastic water bottles, switch to a reusable glass bottle or cup for drinking water and other beverages.
• Unplug when you are done for the day. I'll admit, I am not very good at doing this yet. Before leaving for the day, consider shutting down your computer and unplugging anything that you are able, or turn off the power strip it's plugged into.
• Think before you print. Print only if you need a hard copy of something. Otherwise, save a copy in a folder on the desktop or on a flash drive, or flag emails to reference later.

Even though I have reduced my printer waste at home and in the office, there is always room for improvement. I still need to work on saving energy in the office.

What are some ways you can reduce waste in the office? How have you already gone green at work?

Easy 'Going Green' Tips for Beginners (click the link to read the article)

~ ~ ~

Your challenge: This week, take a step toward reducing waste in the office, whether at home or at work, or both.

______________________________________________________

**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Green Fruit & Veggie Wash Recipe

Go Green in 2014: Week 7

I'm going to keep this week's post short and sweet with a simple recipe for homemade fruit and vegetable wash.

Why make homemade fruit and veggie wash?

It can be expensive to buy a cleaning spray for your produce at the store, and you can make your own at home for just pennies. Plus, it's easy! This spray will aid in the removal of dirt and - with non-organic produce - it will help wash off pesticides (sorry, it will only remove them from the outside of your food!).

How to make and use fruit and veggie wash

Gather your supplies: one part vinegar, one part water, and a spray bottle. Simply fill the spray bottle halfway with vinegar and fill the rest with water. Shake and spray onto your fruits and veggies before each meal or snack, scrub, and rinse well. I have used this solution on apples, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, and more.

Alternatively, for extra cleaning power, you can soak your fruits and vegetables in the sink; fill it with water, then add your produce and a cup of vinegar.

But won't my fruit and veggies taste like vinegar? Nope, but your hands might smell like it! If you don't want to smell vinegar on your hands while eating, make sure to wash them well.

Your challenge: This week, make your own produce cleaning solution and try it out. It's easy and inexpensive!

______________________________________________________

**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Ideas for Greening Your Laundry Room

Go Green in 2014: Week 6

Over the past few years, I have been slowly going green in my laundry room. Why?

Reasons to go green in the laundry room

There are more reasons and ways to go green with your laundry practices than I can possibly list here. These are just a few of those reasons.

• Save the environment from toxic chemicals
• Preserve your family's health by avoiding chemicals
• Avoid skin and lung irritations caused by harmful ingredients
• Conserve the earth's resources (water, energy)
• Save money by using fewer resources
• Your laundry will still get clean

More reasons to avoid commercial laundry products (click the link to read the article)

The dangers of chemicals in the laundry room

As I briefly noted above, laundry room chemicals can be harmful to both the environment and your family. They pollute the air, water, and even absorb into the skin through contact with your clothing. Phosphates, sodium lauryl sulfate, and dioxane are just a few of these chemicals that could be in your laundry detergent.

Let's take sodium lauryl sulfate as an example. This is the compound that makes your shampoo, hand soap, and laundry detergent, among other household products, lather - it is not necessary to get you or your laundry clean. Sodium lauryl sulfate is a known human irritant to the skin, eyes, and lungs. Other concerns may be organ system toxicity and ecotoxicology (source).

~ ~ ~

Look at the ingredients on your bottle of detergent, fabric softener, and stain remover, then see if you can find any of them on this list of hazardous ingredients in household products, a publication of the Cancer Prevention Coalition.

homemade chemical-free laundry soap (see recipe below)

6 ways to go green in the laundry room 

1. If your budget allows, purchase high efficiency (HE) machines

Until we bought our first house, my husband and I had never owned a washing machine or dryer. Either our rental homes came equipped with them, or we were able to borrow a set...until now. So, when it came time to purchase our first set, we were forced to choose between the more budget-friendly machines and high efficiency ones. In the end, we decided the HE models would be more practical. They use less water and electricity, and are more effective at cleaning our laundry. In the long run, they will potentially save us more money. The only drawbacks are that they cost more initially and they could be more expensive to fix if something goes wrong.

2. Save money by using cold water when possible

Naturally, it costs money to heat water, so you can save both money and resources by using cold water to wash your laundry. I try to use cold water unless I think a particular load - such as dirty jeans, towels, or bedding - needs extra cleaning power.

3. Dry for less time, or hang laundry on a clothesline 

It may take a little extra work to hang laundry on an outdoor clothesline than throw them in the dryer, but you can save a lot of money on your electric bill by doing so when the weather allows. If it isn't an option, consider taking them out of the dryer ten minutes early and hang them up inside the house to finish drying.   

4. Replace fabric softener with wool dryer balls 

As you may already know by now, fabric softener and dryer sheets contain harmful chemicals, and they reduce the absorbency of towels. I quit using dryer sheets several years ago, and had been using plastic dryer balls until a couple weeks ago. However, upon learning that the heat from the dryer can cause chemicals to leech onto your laundry and into the air, I purchased a set of wool dryer balls from Smart Sheep. They have been working great; although they don't noticeably reduce drying time, my clothes don't have nearly as much static, and they come out feeling soft.

5. Make your own laundry detergent

I made my own powder detergent using a grated bar of Dr. Bronner's castile soap, 2 cups of washing soda (NOT baking soda!), and 2 cups of borax. Simply mix it all together and add 1/8 - 1/4 cup to the machine with your laundry, or 1 Tablespoon for HE machines. Warning: If you have a high efficiency machine, be sure to read your warranty carefully, because using anything other than HE laundry detergent could potentially void the warranty.

6. And the obvious: Wash less laundry

Of course, you can only go so far with this one, but you can save money and resources by washing larger and fewer loads. Personally, I try to wear my jeans and work pants several times before washing them, unless they actually get dirty. You can get a couple days' use out of towels, but if possible, hang them on a towel bar to dry properly, rather than on a hook.

How have you gone green in your laundry room?

~ ~ ~

Your challenge: This week, green your laundry room in some way, whether it's cutting back on drying time, making your own laundry detergent, or ditching the fabric softener.

______________________________________________________

**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Switching to Reusable Cloth Bags for Groceries & More

Go Green in 2014: Week 5

I'll admit, it's not easy to get into the habit of bringing reusable cloth bags to the grocery store. Although we had a decent collection of cloth bags at our house, I was lazy about using them. For one, we never remembered to bring them along. It's too easy to just grab my list and run out the door.

But now that I have the motivation to start using them, I have been really trying to remember my cloth bags. I don't always remember, but our collection of plastic bags has been slowly getting smaller, so that's a good sign.

Remembering to bring your cloth bags to the store

The hardest part is remembering to bring your cloth bags to the store. If it helps, set them by the door so the next time you go out to your car, you will remember to bring them out. Then, you will have them ready the next time you need to stop for groceries. You might want to leave the bags in the front of the vehicle where you can easily remember them, at least until remembering them becomes automatic, to avoid running back out once you have started shopping.

More ways to use your reusable cloth bags

Get the most out of your cloth bags by using them for more than just groceries. I have used mine in a number of different ways:

• Crochet projects. I actually keep all my yarn in one large bag, but if I had a much larger yarn collection, I would keep only my current works-in-progress in a cloth bag to keep them all together. This is handy if you plan on crocheting while traveling.
• Pet travel supplies. Our Maltese-Yorkie, Mila, doesn't have her own duffel bag, like we do, so we keep her food and supplies in a reusable cloth bag while traveling. And by the time we return home, it is usually full of random things I have tossed in during the trip.
• Gifts. Instead of using wrapping paper or gift bags, use a (new) reusable cloth bag to "wrap" a gift.
• Dirty laundry. Rather than tossing your dirty clothes back into the suitcase with your clean laundry, place it all inside a cloth bag. When you arrive home, you can easily toss it all - including the cloth bag - into the wash.

I'll stop here, because I'm sure you get the idea. In what ways do you use your cloth bags, besides for carrying your groceries?

What can you do with those plastic or paper grocery bags?

Although I am trying to use my cloth reusable grocery bags more often, I still have a collection of plastic bags in my kitchen. They may not be the greenest option, but there are a few ways you can get more use out of them. Do you have used plastic grocery bags lying around? I have published an article at Yahoo! Voices highlighting a few ways I reuse mine. --read article--

How to do you reuse your plastic or paper grocery bags?

~ ~ ~

Your challenge: This week, bring at least one reusable cloth bag along when you go to the grocery store. You can always bring more later, as your collection grows.

~ ~ ~

Tip: Make sure to wash your reusable cloth bags on a regular basis to avoid getting sick from contaminated food.

______________________________________________________

**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**