| The curious thing about 'going green' and learning the | | | | 5. Install water displacement devices in toilet reservoirs. |
| steps needed to operate an environmentally friendly | | | | Placing one or two plastic containers filled with a few |
| home business, you end up with more green in the | | | | stones in the toilet's reservoir will displace almost 4 |
| bank. You see, operating a green business is not only | | | | liters of water per flush. Now this ads up. |
| good for the environment, but it's good your business's | | | | REUSE |
| bottom line because conserving resources and cutting | | | | 6. Produce double-sided documents when possible. |
| down on waste saves money. Whether you operate | | | | Remember, re-use office paper whenever you can. |
| an environmentally friendly home business or a | | | | Avoid printing documents when ever possible, but |
| traditional, off-site enterprise, there are simple things | | | | when you have to, be sure to print them double sided. |
| you can do to run a green business and keep more | | | | Before discarding any documents consider if you can |
| green in the bank. | | | | re-use the un-used side. |
| Seems like the first thing to come to mind when | | | | 7. Refurbish office furniture when ever possible. |
| looking at ways to go green and become | | | | Before deciding whether you need to purchase new |
| environmentally friendly is recycling. While recycling is | | | | office furniture, see if your existing furniture can be |
| indeed very important, it is only one small part of the | | | | refurbished. It's less expensive than buying new and |
| overall equation of operating your environmentally | | | | better for the environment. If it must go, make sure to |
| friendly home business in a sustainable manner. | | | | drop it off to be recycled. |
| Another important area of focus should be on reducing | | | | RECYCLE |
| the amount of waste produced in the office and during | | | | 8. Use recycled paper or find a supplier who uses |
| daily business operations. | | | | paper with the maximum available recycled content. |
| Here are the top 10 easiest ways to for you to start | | | | Always look for recycled alternatives when making |
| running an environmentally friendly home business. By | | | | any purchase. |
| using these simple tips, you will very quickly make your | | | | 9. Use eco-conscience suppliers who take back |
| office a more environmentally friendly place and start | | | | packaging for reuse or recycling. Many businesses |
| saving more of your hard earned green. | | | | these days are also looking for ways to recycle the |
| REDUCE | | | | packaging they use on their products. Look for these |
| 1. Turn off equipment when not in use. Simply by | | | | and use them. |
| turning off electrical devices and office equipment, you | | | | 10. Finally, Think Green when considering who you do |
| can reduce the amount of energy you use by as | | | | business with. Instigate an ongoing serch for "green" |
| much as 25%. Turning off the computers at the end of | | | | products and services in your local community. The |
| the day can save you an additional 50% | | | | further you supplies or services providers have to |
| 2. Reduce fax-related paper wasteby using a | | | | travel, the more energy will be used to get them to |
| fax-modem and by only using cover sheets when | | | | you. Think local when looking global. |
| necessary. Fax-modems allow documents to be sent | | | | Environmentally responsible actions don't have to be |
| directly form a computer without the need for a hard | | | | large to have an impact. Consistently looking for ways |
| copy. | | | | to reduce the amount of energy, water, and paper our |
| 3. Encourage communication by email, and read email | | | | businesses use can make a huge difference, both to |
| messages on-screen to determine whether it's | | | | the environment and to our bank accounts. How much |
| necessary to print them. If not, don't. | | | | paper do you think you'd save if you always ran |
| 4. Reduce water usage by inspecting and replacing | | | | double sided copies? So you see, when you begin to |
| leaky and dripping faucets. Always close them tightly | | | | focus on ways to operate an environmentally friendly |
| after use. It only takes one of water per second to | | | | home business, you find more ways to save that hard |
| waste 10,000 liters per year. | | | | earned green. |
