Social Media Specialist Joanne Burgess

Earth Day is Coming!

I don’t know if you are like me, but until recently, my office was inundated with paper! In addition to business related activities, I look after the bill paying for my household, and therefore any mail coming into the house, comes into my office. We also have three printers in our house which can make for a lot of paper, as well as a lot of ink!

Recently, I embarked on a mission to try and green my office as much as possible. I was on Rogers Daytime (TV) a couple of weeks ago and provided these ways to green your office on the show. Since then, I have had a few people ask me to repeat these tips, so I decided to dedicate my blog to this topic this week.  With Earth Day around the corner, I think this is a timely topic.   I hope some of these tips will help you as well. I apologize to my American friends. The websites that I will refer to here are Canadian so you might have to do some research on your end to find out if these exist where you live too!

1. Yellow Pages Directories

Until recently, we received 3 copies of the Directory in one form or another. There was a large general one for the Metropolitan area, and two regional ones.  I do all my searches online now.  I can’t remember the last time I pulled one of these out to look up a number and with the proliferation of  Social Media, Smart Phones, tablets and the IPod Touch, these are quickly becoming redundant.   To give Yellow Pages credit, they embarked on a mission a couple of years ago to green their process, which includes the paper that they print on. What was not addressed however, is the delivery system which is required to actually get these publications to your door.   In addition, when you recycle your old one, the same delivery process is needed to take it to the recycle plant.  Yellow Pages has now implemented a service whereby you can visit www.ypg.com/delivery, and on the main page opt out of receiving a hard copy of the publication.

2. Unaddressed Ad Mail

Have you ever stopped to think how many flyers and brochures you get in your mail in a week?  How many of you actually read all these pieces of mail?  I know I don’t.   Since the government clamped down on telemarketing, it appears everyone has taken to bulk mail.  Just think of the paper, ink and recycling effort that goes into these initiatives.  This is one reason why Social Media is becoming so important.  This is a way for your to interact with your prospects and clients online, 24/7 and it’s a place where you will actually get interaction!!  If you would like to stop this mail from being delivered:

a)  If you have a superbox (meaning a centralized mail box on the street), you can slip a note in to the mail carrier asking them to stop giving you unaddressed ad mail.

b) If you are still lucky enough to have your mail delivered to your home, you can post a note on your mailbox asking the same.

It’s as easy as that. There will still be some mail that is required to be delivered. Most of these revolve around political/electoral items and community newsletters.

3. Addressed Ad Mail

You know these.  The Credit Card companies are great for this kind of thing.  If I took every offer, I would have 100 credit cards.  You wonder how they get your name in the first place!  One way is if you purchase a large item and sign up for lease payments or purchase on a no-money down option and pay over time.  Financial Institutions then get their hands on your addressee information and many of these companies sell their lists.  One should always read the fine print.  If you would like to stop this mail from coming to your house, you will have to be a little more diligent.  Go to www.the-cma.org.  When you get to the website, click on the Consumer Information tab. Then click on CMA Do Not Contact Service.  Register your name there.  You will likely have to revisit this one a few times a year if you purchase a lot.  As you sign new contracts, you are potentially setting yourself up to be put on another mailing list.

4. Pay Bills Online

Many of you may still feel uncomfortable with this option and that is completely your choice.  I do online banking and pay bills online. It saves time, money and the environment.  I know in the U.S. many companies will give incentives for you to pay online, some with cash!  I also invoice my clients online.  No more snail mail!

5. Printing

When you print, consider these tips:

• Print on both sides of the paper
• Extend your margins to allow more printing on a page
• Use a font like Times Roman to get more words on a page
• Change to Draft printing until you are ready for the final version

These tips are great for helping cut down on paper.  Of course buying recycled paper is also a big plus. You may have to pay a little more for it, but I am a big believer in “Pay me now or Pay me later”. If you would like to ensure a sustainable planet for your children and grandchildren, then think of the big picture. A few cents more now for our children’s futures is a small price to pay.

6. Ink

Many people still throw away their printer cartridges…in fact approx. 70% still do.  There are companies out there like Cartridge World, who will refill your ink cartridges for you. They also refill or remanufacture toner cartridges for photocopiers and laser printers.  The result is the same as a brand new cartridge and at considerable savings.  These components take hundreds of years (some components 1000 years) to break down in landfill.  Look online for a Cartridge World in your area.  They have franchise outlets  in many countries.

7. Electricity

 

Using a product like the Smart Strip Power Bar is a great way to cut down on power usage. You can plug your computer into the main plug of this strip and the rest of your peripherals (printer, fax machine, etc) in the others. When you power off your computer, it automatically powers off the rest. Simple and easy.  The same would apply to your TV and peripherals.

Also using the Smart Fluorescent Light Bulbs is a great savings too.  Consider these for the whole house.

8. Consummables

When it comes time to buy office products, consider looking for recycled items.  I recently purchased a package of Papermate pens that have components that you can put in your compost!  The outside shell of the pen is made from a corn product.  There are other parts that can be recycled. Only a few (like the ink tube) needs to be thrown away.

I also purchase recycled paper, envelopes, folders, binders, paper clips and even a couple of file crates that are made from post-consumer waste.

I hope these tips help! I am sure there are 2 others to round it out to 10.  Let me know what you do!  I love getting feedback.  Here on my blog, you will get Commentluv.  That’s great for you bloggers out there.  By leaving a comment, you can attach a link back to your own blog. Great for SEO.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment. I love to hear from everyone!

While physically located in , Ontario where I live with my family, as a VA, I’m virtually yours anywhere….

Until next time,

Joanne

Tags: Earth Day, environment, green, Green Your Office, Joanne Burgess, Social Media, Social Networking, VA, Virtual Assistant, Virtually Yours