Make sure you recycle your paper shreds. At minimum, toss them in the recycle bin. (Please use a cross-cut shredder that makes tiny pieces of paper – for your confidentiality!) There are other creative ways to use those tiny bits of paper.

Packing
Just last week I need to ship a package. Forget styrofoam peanuts or other non-green items. Use your paper shreds! It was the perfect cushion, and it didn’t cost me anything extra.

Play
Have a small child who’s past putting things in his/her mouth? Let them play with a small amount of the paper. If they scatter it, it’s easily vacuumed. They can put it in containers and practice moving it from cup to cup. Or in a toy dumptruck – easier to clean than sand or dirt, right?

Nesting
Have any birds, hamsters, or bunnies? Could they use it to make a nest or line their cages? (I haven’t checked safety elements on this one – it’s just a quick idea.)

Storage
Need to store breakables for a bit? We’re rearranging things so I can move my desk. I took down a few nicknacks and will be storing them until we’re done. Just like when I shipped a package, it was perfect for cushioning.

I’m sure there are many other ways of using your shredded paper, too. Don’t just toss it into a landfill. Think about how you can reuse it a bit and make your small business a tiny bit greener.

Have you thought of ways you can recycle shredded paper?

Image: morgueFile

Post from: My Organized Biz

But besides paper clutter, there are other ways to go green in your office, and Dumb Little Man gives us nine. So go take a look and then tell us, what are you doing to make your office more sustainable?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Check it out here and enjoy!

Post from: My Organized Biz

Seventh Generation has a great line of Free and Clear household cleaning products including dish soap, glass cleaner, and all-purpose cleaner that are free of dyes and fragrances. They’re biodegradable, free of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and are not tested on animals.

Vanessa’s Gift has a line of cleaning products that are scented with essential oils (derived from plants, not chemicals) that are non-toxic and biodegradable. They list all the ingredients on the packaging so you know what you’re buying.

The ol’ standbys – Of course, there are always the basics like white vinegar, borax and elbow grease, too.

What products do you use to clean your space?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Despite their primarily plastic contents, CDs and DVDs can’t be included in household recycling and very few centers are set up to accept them. Most people chuck them in the trash – where they go from the trash can to the incineration facility to be burned or the landfill to never biodegrade.

Good news!

Several companies have taken up the challenge to remove these plastic disks from the waste stream and put them back into use. In some cases, they’ll recycle an unlimited number of disks and you only pay for postage!

CD Recycling Center of America in Salem, NH – accepts CDs, DVDs, and jewel cases free of charge. You pay for postage.

GreenDisk in Sahammish, WA offers unlimited CD recycling, technology equipment recycling, and their own line of recycled products.

FreeRecycling in Laguna Niguel, CA has a practically unnavigable website, but also offers CD and DVD recycling and bulk containers that destroy data on the CDs upon disposal.

In a life-cycle analysis of compact disks, the EPA gives an ironic “fun fact” that “more than 5.5 million boxes of software go to landfills and incinerators, plus people throw away millions of music CDs
each year!”

What are you doing with your CDs and DVDs? Did you know that recycling was an option?

Post from: My Organized Biz

To be honest, even though I shop at some of them, just thinking about these companies is enough to get my blood boiling.

Before I break into a full-fledged rant, I have to say that I learned some interesting information about Office Depot that warrants recognition.

In the last four years Office Depot has developed:

• An environmental stewardship page on their website
• A free guide called “20 Ways fo Go Green at Work (and Save Money!)”
• The Green Book(tm) Catalog of Environmentally Preferrable Products – available in printed form or online (to save paper)
• Office Depot Environmental Paper Procurement Policy
• An environmental stewardship Auditing and Verification Policy

You might say that’s all well and good for their image – and the bottom line. But get this: Office Depot has been active in the Forest & Biodiversity Conservation Alliance – a partnership with some of the biggest names in environmental conservation, including the Nature Conservancy.

According to the site, this alliance is “a cooperative working framework that coordinates the complementary strengths and resources of each organization to address forest and biodiversity conservation issues within the paper products supply chain.”

In addition, according to the company’s site, “Office Depot committed $2.2 million in funding over a five-year period to develop new information, standards and tools to advance our forest and biodiversity conservation policies.”

Not bad for a big box. In fact, it makes them next on my list of places I shop for office supplies – after my locally owned office store.

Post from: My Organized Biz

The old way:

Used to be that my clients would call me and ask if I was free on, say, Tuesday afternoon. I’d look at my calendar, see a blank spot of sufficient length, and say “sure.” Even if they lived two counties away.

I’d run errands in one direction in the morning, drive home (to my office) for lunch, and then zip back out again in the afternoon. No biggie. Eveyone does it.

At $3.20ish a gallon (and rising), I’m realizing that this haphazard maze I’ve been driving is not efficient. And it’s more than just finances. The alarm raised about global warming (of which car exhaust plays a significant part) needs to be heeded. The looming economic slump and reliance on oil sucked from foreign soil makes me want to spend my money at home.

The New Way:

Going back to my roots of Yankee ingenuity, I’ve developed a new system for my small biz. Here are six ways that you can be green and save green.

Pull out the gasoline IV: Start noticing when you want to make spontaneous trips in your vehicle. Begin to wean yourself off “just going” when you feel like it.

Think geographically: Post a map of your city or typical driving areas. Make note of the locations you visit regularly. When you make an appointment, look on the map to see how the locale relates geographically to your regular haunts.

Plan ahead: Have an appointment on Tuesday in the south of town? Think about what’s along your route and run those errands on the way. Try designating a day of the week to specific locales to make long-term planning easier. The day before you drive somewhere, check your to-do list to see if anything is on your route you’ve been meaning to do.

Put errands in your car: If you need to drop off your taxes or mail something, keep it in your car instead of on your desk. When you’re out, you can then complete the task in a jiffy.

Explain to clients that you’re combining trips: My clients haven’t blinked an eye at this, even when it meant waiting an extra day or so to meet with me. In fact, they’ve been downright supportive. I also believe sharing this choice sends a tiny ripple of common sense into the world, and you never know who might follow suit.

Meet on the phone: Sometimes a good eye-to-eye is the best way to meet, but not always. Try planning a phone meeting from the comfort of your office – no driving required if you’re working from home! You can use a service like freeconferencecall.com for group meetings.

These are just a few ideas to get the ball rolling. Although they may seem tedious, they’re all ways that make your time use more efficient as well.

Do you have ways you save cash and gas at the same time? Share them here!

Post from: My Organized Biz

You may have noticed yourself wiggling around after a couple of hours of sitting at the computer, trying to stretch out the stiff muscles. Maybe your back aches or you’re hunched over because there’s no lumbar support. You might eventually consider (like I have) bringing in a chair that would remedy your discomfort.

How does this affect your organized biz? Well, discomfort equals distraction. And distraction equals diminished productivity. You get the picture – an inadequate chair means decreased productivity and flagging enthusiasm for your work.

Green ideas for comfortable seating:

Don’t throw money at it: Often times, spending money isn’t the only solution. Your physical distress could be a result of long hours without a break. In that case, setting a timer that reminds you to get up and move around can be a good (free) solution.

“Shop your house”: You might have another chair in your house or office that is more comfortable than your current one. Claim it as your own and you’ve solved the problem without buying a thing.

Buy recycled: If you come to the conclusion that you need to purchase a chair for your office, I just learned from Anna Hackman at Green Talk about several resources for recycled and repurposed office furniture. Check out the resources and article about Anna’s office chair saga.

Want more ideas? Visit Greener Assets for a great article about greener office furniture.

And while we’re on the subject, care to share your own office chair saga?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Here’s a small sampling – compiled for your viewing pleasure:

Greener Files – ideas for saving paper, printer ink, and integrating digital records.

Greening Your Electricity at the Office – learn how to prevent juice leaks, maximize natural light, and get connected to renewable energy.

Resources for Recycling Office Electronics – here’s a huge pile of resources for this invasive problem.

Check in often at Greener Assets for ideas and information about how to run your business green!

Post from: My Organized Biz

The main premise of the 20 minute video is that the economy can’t exist in its current paradigm forever because the planet’s resources are finite. Instead of gloom and doom, it’s a bracing wake-up call for change – including really clear and do-able steps.

Here’s an except from their Another Way website for an idea about how you can contribute to positive change:

Power down! A great deal of the resources we use and the waste we create is in the energy we consume. Look for opportunities in your life to significantly reduce energy use: drive less, fly less, turn off lights, buy local seasonal food (food takes energy to grow, package, store and transport), wear a sweater instead of turning up the heat, use a clothesline instead of a dryer, vacation closer to home, buy used or borrow things before buying new, recycle. All these things save energy and save you money. And, if you can switch to alternative energy by supporting a company that sells green energy to the grid or by installing solar panels on your home, bravo!

Just turning off your computer when it’s not in use makes a difference. And it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Post from: My Organized Biz