TELECONFERENCE ONLINE AND SAVE
Log in and save money, drive time, and gasoline when a face-to-face meeting is not necessary. There are many ways to conference online, including using Skype, which offers free calls and free conferencing. If visuals are required, try GoToMeeting , a provider of online meeting and collaboration software.
CONFUSED ABOUT PLASTICS?
You're not alone. Experts have reached a consensus and recommend that you avoid these varieties -- identified by a triangle and number on the bottom of most containers -- for the following reasons:
#3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) commonly contains di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), an endocrine disruptor and probable human carcinogen, as a softener.
#6 Polystyrene (PS) may leach styrene, a possible endocrine disruptor and human carcinogen, into water and food.
#7 Polycarbonate contains the hormone disruptor bisphenol-A, which can leach out as bottles age, are heated, or exposed to acidic solutions. Unfortunately, #7 is used in most baby bottles and five-gallon water jugs and in many reusable sports bottles.
CLEAN YOUR FRIDGE'S COILS Cleaning the back of your office fridge--the coils and electric circuitry--increases energy efficiency. A refrigerator with dirty coils works harder, and that means an extra 25 percent more energy use and CO2 emissions as compared with a fridge with clean coils.
RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES PLUG INTO USB PORTS
Want an alternative to using disposable batteries, which leak toxic wastes into landfills and ground water? USB Cell produces rechargeable AA batteries that do not require adapters or cables, but instead can be inserted into your laptop's USB port, or other USB port, and be recharged hundreds of times. Visit http://usbcell.com/ or
http://www.terrapass.com/green-store/gadgets-chargers/ for more info.
LOVE THAT LINOLEUM If it's time to change the break room floor, opt for linoleum instead of vinyl. Linoleum is made from all-natural resources, while vinyl is made from petroleum.
SAVE PAPER AND MONEY BY PRINTING BACK TO BACK A single-sided, 10-page letter costs 55 cents to mail. If that same letter is printed on both sides of the paper, it costs 34 cents to mail, and you've saved five pages of paper for other use.
DOWNLOAD MUSIC Whenever you can, download your music, instead of purchasing a CD. If you want to recycle your CDs and DVDs, visit the Compact Disc Recycling Center of America at http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.com/ to find the nearest recycling center, or visit http://www.cdrecyclingforfree.com/. The latter accepts your mailed CDs and DVDs; you pay the postage.
KEEP THE CORD When purchasing a phone for your home or office, consider buying one with a cord. Cordless models draw power in charging and standby modes, while older models use very little power. The savings per phone: 28 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. If 5 percent of households opted for one phone with a cord, the savings would amount to 140 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, according to "The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time."
POST OFFICE RECYCLES ELECTRONICS The next time you're in the post office, ask the postal clerk for an envelope to recycle your cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, ink jet cartridges, digital cameras, and small electronics. The post office generally provides this free service.
CEILING FANS VERSUS AIR CONDITIONERS Instead of running an air conditioner at a cost of 16 cents per hour or 43 cents per hour for central air, use a ceiling fan. If you use an air conditioner, select an ENERGY STAR variety, which will save 20 to 40 percent in energy consumption as compared with conventional air conditioners, according to The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time, by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen
BRING YOUR OWN MUG Each year, Americans discard more than 14 billion paper cups. For instance, that Styrofoam cup you use at your office meeting will linger nine generations before decomposing. Instead, bring a ceramic cup. Same goes for your daily Starbucks or Coffee Bean brew: consider bringing your own cup. If you don't have one you like let me know I'll gladly send you one - free mug.
PAPERBOARD IS RECYCLABLE
Paperboard is a thicker form of paper used in consumer packaging. Examples include cereal containers, tissue boxes, drink boxes, detergent packaging, and shoe boxes. Paperboard is recyclable--often at curbside--if the plastic liner has been removed and it has not been stained with cooking oil or water. While paperboard often is coated with kaolin clay to improve its printing surface, it's still recyclable
