Being Green in 2013, Week 1

Being Green in 2013: Week 1 

         Being "green" doesn't mean you have to drastically change up your entire lifestyle (although it is possible) or spend an extravagant amount of money on better appliances or green technologies.  For 2013, we at the Waste Reduction and Recycling Office propose that each week you make one small environmentally friendly change for the better in your daily habits.  These little shifts in habit will be low cost, and only require your attention to following them.  

        This week we're going to make sure we REDUCE our personal paper demand.  Think about how much paper comes through your mailbox - whether it be catalogs, Yellow Pages books, paychecks, and all sorts of bills.  With most companies offering opt-out services, it is pretty simple to request that you stop the service on free catalogs and Yellow Books.  If you still want to receive news, sign up for email newsletters and online catalogs.  And while moving towards online bills and direct deposit may be a bigger and more noticeable lifestyle shift, it is definitely worthwhile.  You can still keep track of your bills and book keep using an online based system.  Setting up a folder on your computer for different bills and your direct deposit will allow you to download PDF files and save them here, while staying organized.  Lastly, another easy way to reduce your paper use is to reuse paper you are done with (and would normally head to the recycling) for notes and scraps.  Forget about notepads and post it notes, just cut your used paper into quarters and use the blank side for reuse.  You'll maybe even save some money with this one! 

       All in all, we intend for our tips to be costless and painless for you!  Make a few changes and make a difference in 2013!

(Picture credit: www.businessbloghub.com)