Websites to Help You "Go Green" This month I've happened upon a number of websites that can help your business or your home become more environmentally friendly. With the popularity of "being green" at what seems like an all time high, it's a great time to make some of these small changes that can make a big difference for the environment. Rechargeable Batteries I admit this is one area our business needs to improve on. Things like digital cameras, flashlights, stereos, and other small electronics run on batteries and re-buying them every time they get used up is not only wasteful but also impractical. There are a number of options now for rechargeable batteries. Many can be found at stores like Target and others. You can also find them online at http://www.greenbatteries.com. Yes, they will cost you more than the regular batteries, but it will save you from having to buy them for years. And all the old regular batteries can still be recycled. Target, Radio Shake, and Sears offer drop offs to recycle your old batteries. If you don't live near one of those stores, check out http://www.earth911.org.org for more recycling information. Green Your Phone Earth Tone (http://www.earthtones.com) donates 100% of its profits to environmental organizations and causes. I found their rates to be fairly reasonable (for instance $4.95 per month and $.07 a minute rates). All their plans also give you free calls to government numbers such as congress and decision makers so it's easier to make your voice heard. E-billing and "Green Alerts" are also offered with their plans. They even offer internet (dial-up) service. Get More Involved There are literally thousands of organizations out there working to help the environment. During the month of March, organized tree-plantings occur in many major cities across the country. To find out more, check out http://www.arborday.org. If you can't make it to personally help plant some trees, you can always make a donation to help continue the effort at the Arbor Day website. Clean Up It's not very hard anymore to buy environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning products (even target carries a line called Method). I recently found out about a line that donates all proceeds to environmental conservation, education, and research, Epic (http://www.products4causes.com). What I personally liked about the products beyond the eco-friendly aspect was the affordability and the variety. About the Author Sherry Holub received her degree in design from UCLA in 1995. She is now the Lead Designer and Creative Director at Southern California firm, JV Media Design (http://www.jvmediadesign.com). Sherry is also a member of the NAPP, AIGA, the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), and Cambridge Who's Who. More Ways To Make Your Business "Greener" "Going green" is one trend we're happy to see becoming more and more popular. Even if you are still uncertain about global warming, practices that can make your business greener can also save on your bottom line. Here are more simple ways your business can help lessen the impact on the environment and potentially save a dollar or two. Reduce and Reuse Some may not consider plastics to be earth-friendly because of the way they are made, however, with certain business supplies plastic might have the advantage. For instance, you can purchase paper file folders that have a percentage of post-consumer waste in them, but unless you also recycle those when they've served their purpose, they will likely end up in the landfill as opposed to another file cabinet. As an alternative, you can purchase plastic file folders that can be reused over and over again, simply by using peel off labels on them. Three-ring binders are another product that can be re-purposed many times before their usefulness comes to an end. These can be purchased at almost all the larger office supply stores. Such items like staplers, scissors, drawer and file organizers, tape dispensers and more can all be purchased recycled and serve you for a long time. Try the Recycled Products Cooperative at http://www.recycledproducts.org as a source for all your recycled office needs. Rethink Many offices now are going paperless. That is, they're forgoing all the usual forms of paper creation such as memos, faxing, invoicing, etc. All these things can be done via electronic means now. A paper-driven office can enjoy more organization as well as less waste by converting to electronic files. Re-purpose Does your office receive magazine subscriptions? If so, what do you do with the magazines once everyone has read them? I happened to find a great little article on different ways to reuse magazines here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/83785/6_ways_to_recycle_old_magazines.html Recycle Just about every town has some sort of recycling program for items such as paper, plastic, aluminum and glass. Recycling at your place of business might seem like a hassle, but consider the advantages of recycling: Saves on natural resources Reduces landfill waste Saves energy (it takes less energy to make recycled products than it does new ones) Another thing to try is to rotate recycling responsibilities in a company. Each week designate a different person to take on the duties. Finally, try calling your waste management company to see if they already offer a recycling program for your area.