ECO/Green Living:
By Suryavarman
Helping to save the environment sounds like a daunting challenge, but you can accomplish it like you do any other task: One step at a time. Here are a handful of ways you can be green, whether you have one minute or one year.
The first step to becoming a resonsible recycle is by just getting yourself in the habit. Curb the impulse to throw away paper by keeping an outbox tray on the edge of your desk, closer to you than your trash can. When you're finished with a document or print-out, remove the paperclip or tear off the staple, and throw the paper in your tray. Use this as your source of scratch paper, and when the box is full, empty in the central recycling location. (If your office does not have special recycle cans, contact your building maintenance to get set up.)
One ton of paper made from recycle fibers as opposed to new materials will save 7,000 gallons of water; betwee 17 and 31 trees; 4,000 kilowatt hours of electricity (enough electricity to burn a 100 watt light bulb for more than 4.6 years); and 60 pounds of air pollutant, according to the U.S. Department of energy.
Don't let glowing e-mail box on your desk suck away any more energy than it has to. Adjust the power managment features on your Windows XP computer by following these steps:
1. Under the "Start" menu, click "Control Panel"
2. Click "Power Options"
3. Be sure the power scheme is set to "Energy Star"
4. Select appropriate times for your Computer to decrease or turn off power to certain functions. We recommend the following:
- Turn off monitor: After 10 minutes
- System standby: After 15 minutes
- Turn off hard disk: After 20 minutes
- System hibernates: After 20 minutes
5. Click OK
For step-by-step instructions for Windows 95, 98, ME and Mac OS 9 and X, visit Energy Star.
According to Energy Star, making these adjustment to your monitor and computer can save up to $100 annually per desktop. Multiply that times millions of office workers and that adds up to huge energy savings!
Do your part to help "close the loop" of recycling. Someone has to use the products that were manufactured from recycled material in order for the process to come full circle. There are scores of recycled and green-friendly office products, and all it takes is a little time to acquiant yourself with the options. Start with the simple switches, such trading in your standard office paper with a more friendly option. Look for a high percentage of post-consumer content first, and for an added bonus go with a product that uses less chemicals than conventional products. Also check whether the product has met any guidelines from any one of many environmental groups or agency programs, such as the EPA Procurement Guidelines or the Forest Stewartship Council.
Don't stop at the paper product though. Look even further at Fair Trade and Responsible Tourism systems that ensure that people along every step of the supply chain, from consumer goods to travel, receive fair wages, that workers and communities are treated with dignity, and that artisans and producers, tour operators and accomodation owners take steps to preserving the environment. These systems build real and lasting relationships between communities in developing countries and businesses, consumers and travelers in more developed areas all around the world. Your participation is essential to maximizing the power of justice, dignity, empowerment, transparency, and respect for people and the planet.
You may have heard of Energy Star, that rating on common home appliances that means they use less energy than old models. Energy Star - a program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy- can also help your organization reduce energy consumption, a great way to improve the environment and your bottom line.
Challenge your office management company, your clients or members, and yourself to make a commitment toward reaching Energy Star recogntion. More than 3,200 buildings in the U.S. have already earned this rating and use about 35 percent less energy than average buildings. Energy Star provides free tools to determine your building's ernergy performance and make a plan for improvement.
Visit Energy Star to access the free tools, resources and its "Guidelines for Energy Management".
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