It seems that everyone is talking about the environment right now. It is all about environmentally friendly cleaners, how to use less gas and reduce emissions, and reducing the amount of things that are consumed.

It can all seem very “talk of the moment” that is easy to brush off as just being the latest news story. I for one think it is an important topic to consider though. I want my daughter to respect this planet that we live on and hope that it will be a beautiful place to live for future generations.

I would like to give some ideas for greening your home office. If everyone makes just a few small changes we can make quite a difference in the world.

You are already working from (or about to I hope), so you have done one major thing to go green. No commute, which means no gasoline and no automobile emissions for trips back and forth to work.

Change the incandescent bulbs in your workspace to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). CFLs can last up to 15 times longer than an incandescent light bulb and use only one-third of the electricity. They do cost more but can last up to five years and reduce your electrical bill by 12%.

Reduce your paper output. Stop printing off emails or ebooks and instead read them online. The paper that you print on requires that trees be cut down and then a mill to process it, which also uses water and electricity. Try to buy recycled paper with a high post consumer waste content. If you must print something, print double sided or set to print 2 pages per sheet of paper.

Make sure your computer is set to a power saving mode. This will shut your computer down anytime is sits for a set period of time with no activity. If your printer or scanner is not in use then make sure they are off or unplugged. Also do not keep your cell phone charger plugged into the wall when not in use. They are still using electricity even when not charging your phone.

What are some of the ways that you are green in your home office? Is it something that you think about on a daily basis?

Warmly,
Mia