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While in the past many people were not thinking about the environment, especially at work, increased awareness of the importance of conservation and saving the environment has even made business owners begin to take a second look at practices they can change to improve the environment. If you haven’t considered how your business is affecting the environment, it may be time to consider what you can do to operate a little greener. Today it is becoming more and more popular to go green at the office and it is relatively easy to use great policies at work that can help the environment and make your business more successful as well. Not sure where to begin? Well, here are a few tips to help you out.

Tip #1 Go with Green Vendors: If you want to go green at your office, it’s going to be important to go with green vendors for your needs. Find out if vendors have green policies of their own in place already. Each vendor your use, such as your office supply company or even the bank you use should have green policies to help with the environment. Find out which businesses do use green policies and then support them and their choices by giving them your company’s business.

Tip #2 Make Donations: Another thing that you can do to keep your office environmentally friendly is to make some donations. All the pens, phones, books, computers, and other supplies that you have at the office that are no longer being used can be donated. You’ll find schools, libraries, charity stores, and nursing homes will be glad to take them off your hands. This way someone else can get some use out of them and you won’t be throwing them away.

Tip #3 Purchase and Plant Trees around Your Business: Trees are great for helping the environment by releasing oxygen into the air. Why not plant some trees around your business. Perhaps start an initiative at your office for people to earn their own tree. You may even want to set a special day aside for planting some trees. This will be great for the environment and it can be excellent for your business promotion as well. Purchasing some small saplings should not be all that expensive to do, and consider even using these trees as awards or incentives in the office instead of paper certificates.

Tip #4 Put in Electric Hand Dryers: Many businesses go with paper towels in their bathrooms, and this promotes the use of natural resources that could be saved. Instead of using all that paper, why not invest in some electric hand dryers for your bathrooms. This will save on using paper towels, and not only is it great for the environment, but it is also going to be cost effective as well, since you’ll save quite a bit on the cost of the paper towels.

Tip #5 Go with Recycled Products: There are a variety of different recycled products that you can use for your business that will help you in your pursuit of going green at the office. Some of the recycled products that you can use include recycled paper goods, recycled toner and printer cartridges, and even recycled plastics. You should recycle yourself, and also use recycled products as much as you can.

Tip #6 Purchase Personalized Coffee Mugs for Your Employees: How many Styrofoam cups do you go through a day at the office? If you have many coffee drinkers in the office lounge, more than likely you go through quite a few. Why not go ahead and purchase some personalized coffee mugs for all of your employees. This is a great gift that you can offer and they’ll be able to use their mugs over and over again instead of having to actually use Styrofoam cups, which are not great for the environment.

As you can see, there are many things that you can do that can help to improve the environment. Going green at the office is actually a lot easier and cheaper than you probably thought it would be; in fact, it can even save you money in the long run. So, if you’re ready to start taking care of the world you live in, consider using these tips at the office to make it as green as you possibly can.

Author: Bennetta Elliott
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Hybrid and Electric Cars

So how many Eco-friendly, all natural or go green claims from manufacturers out there are frauds? Fifteen percent, forty percent or sixty percent? Terra Choice Environmental Marketing reviewed over 1,000 products last year and found that 99% of their Eco-friendly, go green claims were not valid.

Isn’t that fraud? Well the problem could be that there is not enough oversight or regulation to ensure that they are living up to their claims. All but one of them committed what is called the “six sins of greenwashing”.

A very insightful article was recently published in Fast Company Magazine by David Roberts in which he exposes the reason behind companies “green washing” their products.

When we read a label to find out if it is environmentally friendly, non animal tested, natural or free of chemicals, it’s easy to see a nice little Eco-friendly icon or the recycled logo and assume that because that exists, they must be telling the truth or they wouldn’t be allowed to print it. The truth is, the regulations are few and far between so it’s easy to get away with stating one thing while omitting the deeper darker greenwashing sins.

A good example would be to use the recycled icon on a product and then having employees travel around to market it in automobiles that get 15-20 mpg. So in realty, the product is not so eco-friendly at all. Believe it or not, it’s happening every day. Until the public demands more honesty in marketing eco-friendly go green products, not much is likely to change.

One thing to consider is that our government does not make it profitable for companies to truly go green or become Eco-friendly. The costs involved with companies going green, keep many of them from being able to change the way they produce and market their goods and services.

Governmental incentives for becoming a true Eco-friendly company are not on the top of most politicians lists. It is therefore up to each of us as conservators of the one and only earth we have, to get behind our planet. We must send a loud unanimous voice to our political leaders telling them that unless they make wise tuff decisions that are positive in protecting earth and it’s inhabitants, they won’t stay in office.

So the next time you buy a product and make a conscious decision to select the Eco-friendly green one, take a little time and explore what’s behind that pretty little Eco-friendly or recycled icon. What you find may change the way you shop.

Author: Shelby Wallace
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty

Why all this discussion about going green first of all you may be asking? Well simply put, more and more people these days are very concerned about doing what they can to lower their fuel bills, use energy more wisely and trying to reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in the landfill. The whole point of going green is to find some best practices, whether they are at home, at your place of business or simply in our everyday lives that will help us to achieve this goal. So here are a few random tips looking at cars and the home to get the reader started.

With respect to cars you can:

1. Keep the air filter clean:

o Just like humans, cars and vehicles need to breathe properly also. The dirtier the air filter the harder the vehicle will have to work thus burning more gas and hurting your wallet even more.

2. Car pooling with people who you like:

o Obviously if there is another passenger in your car, that is one less car off the road if he or she is accustomed to driving. Remember though to let your passengers know that they have to respect your vehicle, do not let them slam your car doors or let your doors slam against a wall, other cars or stationary objects. You might end up spending more money fixing the damages than what you might be trying to save by going green.

Also remember that with more people in your car, you will have higher gas expenses but considerably less gas will be used compared to having your passenger drive their own car. Ask your car pooling buddies if they will pitch in for gas, since gas seems to be going up all over the world and probably will not return to levels which we are used to.

3. Hand wash your own car:

o Many of us love our cars and some but not all, wash our cars at home. It is true there are car washes at your local garage or gas station but there are still many countries where it is not the custom to go to a car wash. So for those who still wash their own car by hand, try using a bucket and water instead of the hose.

In other words, fill the bucket with some water and get a sponge and wash the car yourself. You can use a scrub brush for the tires since that surface is tougher. You will be amazed at how far a bucket of water can go and you will not constantly have the water running when the hose is not in use.

In your home there are many possibilities but a few are as follows:

1. Recycle your glass and plastic bottles:

o Even if you are the one who does not go to the recycling center, there is nothing wrong with putting your bottles into separate bags and placing them by the trash. In many cities around the world, the less fortunate collect bottles and return them to the recycling center themselves to collect the few cents per dollar.

Help do your part by separating the bottles into their own bags, instead of having such people go through your garbage looking for bottles and causing a mess on the sidewalk or around your garbage collecting area.

2. Find creative ways to use items:

o Think of a way to reuse items before throwing them out. If you ship things frequently, maybe hold onto clean items such as egg boxes, cartons that are washed out or simply boxes that you may receive. These can be reused for shipping and packaging purposes.

3. Solar heating:

o Use a solar heating system for your water, if available in your country. In many developing countries such as certain islands in the Caribbean, they have been using solar heating for decades now. You basically have a tank of water on your roof, with solar panels connected to it and the heat from the sun heats the water which is stored in the tank.

True that in countries which have the winter season or where it is not hot all year around, some sort of backup system will have to be used. But the point is, for those few months of spring, summer and fall where it is possible to have the warmth of the sun to heat your water; this is a viable and cheap alternative.

Obviously, there are many other areas which you can look at whether it be with your electronics, personal self with respect to walking instead of driving, you can look at generating your electricity at home with the use of home based wind wills and even with the food you feed your pets.

I hope this article has allowed people to realize that it is the simple things which can allow all of us to get started on going green within the home and our businesses and that we can help create or leave behind a better Earth for future generations.

Author: Jim Haynes
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Excise Tax

Eco friendly products are a great way to start going green. It is a lot easier than you might think. If you make gradual adjustments to your lifestyle, you will barely notice the change. All you have to do is be more aware of how small changes can make a big difference.

Consider the environmental impact of the lifecycle of an item.

• What is it made of? Are these materials natural and renewable? Or are they toxic and from a finite source?
• How is it made? Does the process cause unnecessarily high levels of pollution? Is it tested on animals? Does the company do something to help reduce its environmental impact?
• How is it used? Is it disposable? Is it energy efficient? Does it produce less waste?
• How do you get rid of it? Is it recyclable? Is it biodegradable? Or is it harmful to the environment?

Keeping these thoughts in mind when you buy something will tell you whether or not they are eco friendly products.

Examples of Eco Friendly Products

• Rechargeable Batteries: Everybody has some type of battery operated device. Turn them into more eco friendly products by using rechargeable batteries. They may seem expensive at first, but considering that they are reusable hundreds of times, they will save you a lot of money in the long run. They have an added bonus of reducing landfill toxins.

• Tankless Water Heaters: They don’t waste energy keeping your water hot. They heat the water as it’s needed, and are about 90-100% efficient, depending on the model. They’re eco friendly products with the added bonus of saving you money.

• Digital Thermostat: They’re available with timers and are programmable. That means you can reduce your heating or air conditioning while no one is home or while you are sleeping and save a lot of money. Simply adjusting your thermostat a couple of degrees can save you money, and help the planet. It averages to 3% of your bill per degree of adjustment.

• Geothermal Heat Pump: One of the more attractive eco friendly products, they can keep your house at a constant temperature and will heat your water, all using the natural heat of the earth. They aren’t cheap, but once they are installed they will save you a bunch of money, operating almost without cost, and reduce your impact on the earth.

• Solar and Wind Power: Due to increasing levels of awareness, they are becoming more cost effective, efficient and available. You can get solar or wind power for your home, but also for charging small electronics now.

• Cleaning Supplies: Believe it or not, you don’t need harsh chemicals to clean most things around your home. In fact, it has been recently proven that antibacterial products are bad for you and the environment. Changing to more eco friendly products is a simple and healthy way to go green.

• Furniture: You may not think to go green with your furniture, but it’s available now, usually items made from renewable resources or recycled materials.

• Apparel: Natural and organic renewable fibers instead of petroleum based synthetics are becoming more popular, and just feel better. Think of them as the stylish version of eco friendly products.

• Efficient Lighting: While compact fluorescent lighting saves money, they do contain mercury, which means they have to be disposed of properly. On the plus side, they will outlast several incandescent bulbs and use far less energy. LED lights are truly eco friendly products, lasting decades and using little energy, but are more expensive initially.

No more excuses. It’s becoming easier every day to go green with the widespread availability and development of eco friendly products.

Author: Neece Campione
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty

Many of us want to be responsible citizens of the Earth. We think about the effects our lifestyles have on the environment. We are concerned about global warming. We want to ensure our children’s future on this planet is one that still has clean air to breathe, an abundance of trees and wildlife, and clean water to drink. However, many of us also think that the sacrifices might be too great to “go green” in our own office. Good news. It’s not as difficult as you think.

There are 3 areas where you can make a significant impact without significant expense or inconvenience: paper, lights, and electronics.

The average American office worker throws out about 150 pounds of paper per year. Paper manufacturing contributes to the deforestation of the planet and in America is responsible for 35 million tons of CO2 a year. So what can you do? Buy recycled paper. Make full use of that paper by printing on both sides and/or using paper that is only printed on one side for scratch paper. Do your proofreading and edits on your computer before printing to reduce the number of prints you make. Re-use file folders by placing new labels over the old ones. All of these changes are easy to make but have a big impact. Pretty painless, right?

Another way you can go green in your office is as easy as changing a light bulb. In fact, it is changing a light bulb. Incandescent bulbs use 4 times more energy than is necessary to produce light. Halogen lights can get as hot as 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot enough to cook an egg! Alternately, Energy Star certified compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s) use 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light, last 10 times longer and produce less heat. If you feel like you need even more reason to switch to CFL’s, consider that you will also save money over the lifetime of the bulb. Once you have made the switch to energy efficient bulbs, make sure lights are turned off when they are not needed. A great way to ensure that this happens is with motion sensors that will turn the lights off when everyone has left the room.

38% of all of the carbon dioxide emissions come from the electricity we generate. That electricity is used to power all sorts of things. A major drain on our electricity is all of our office equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, and fax machines. When going green with your electronics, you need to look at 3 factors. You need to consider the waste that is created in the manufacturing of the products, the effects on the environment when you use the products, and the waste that is created when you are done with the products. That may seem like a lot to think about but if you follow these simple guidelines, you will be able to minimize the negative impact your office equipment has on the environment.

The manufacturing of electronics uses a lot of resources including electricity, raw materials, and water. Electronics also account for billions of pounds of municipal waste each year. Just a few of the contaminants that electronics create are toxic heavy metals, lead, PCB’s, mercury, and various acids. To lessen your office’s affect on the number of new pieces of equipment that are manufactured, as well as end up in land fills, buy all-in-one machines that combine multiple functions into one. Whenever possible, get rid of machines completely by using services such as Internet fax. With an Internet fax service you get rid of the fax machine completely, as well as reduce the amount of paper and ink that gets consumed. Another way to decrease waste is to recycle machines that are no longer working and donate those that do to charities where they will stay in use.

25% of the total electricity used by all commercial buildings in the US is consumed by office buildings. When buying any new office equipment, look for Energy Star certified machines. This will make a huge difference in the amount of electricity that is used to run your office. For example, an Energy Star certified computer is going to be 52% more efficient than a standard one. Laptops also use a lot less energy than desktops, so consider whether this is a viable option for your office. Energy efficient machines are also going to have stand by options that will power down or go into sleep mode to conserve energy when not in use. Once the office is closing for the day, make sure that all equipment is powered off.

Taking these steps will get you on your way to going green in your office. And as I promised, they will help you make a significant impact without significant cost or inconvenience to you and your employees. And you thought going green was going to be hard.

Author: Brandi Cummings
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital pipeline