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Waste-Free Wednesday: Take Note of This

Jenn Savedge — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:00:38 +0000

Waste-Free Wednesday

This week for Waste-Free Wednesday, I’m going “paper-free.” Since most of my business is online, it’s pretty easy for me to avoid using paper at work. In fact, my printer is used so infrequently that it has had the “low-ink” light on for three years and it’s still going strong!

But I have found that my kids and I use a lot of paper just in notes and doodles that we leave for one another. For the most part, we all try to use both sides of a piece of paper in the recycling, but wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to use the paper at all?

Enter Science Aide reusable scratch paper and study sheets. These ingenious sheets let you go paper-free while you doodle, sketch, make lists, take notes, or draw. Created by college students, these sheets were originally intended as a way to help students graph, sketch, chart, and take notes without using reams upon reams of paper. And while many of the sheets are geared toward science students (such as the Organic Chemistry Reaction Table Sheet or the Cardiovascular Physiology Guide) the blank sheets are perfect for anyone and anywhere. My kindergartner loves to use them to draw doodles and write notes, my three year old uses them to scribble, and I use them for writing notes and to-do lists.

Are you ready to go paper-free? If so, you’re in luck! This week, ScienceAide is giving away a sample pack of reusable sheets to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment below to enter! One winner will be chosen at random on Monday, March 9th. Check out these reusable sheets in this video:

Top 5 Ways To Green Your Office

Jenn Savedge — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:29:00 +0000

Not long ago, the environment and business were seen as opposing forces. But today, companies both large and small are beginning to see the environmental and economic benefits of adding green to their bottom line. Whether you have a home office, run your own company, or work for a corporation, incorporating green practices into your workplace can save money, boost employee morale, attract customers, and protect the environment. As a parent, running an eco-savvy office also teaches your children that green means business.

Install CFLs: Replace traditional light bulbs with cost-effective and energy saving compact fluorescents. CFL’s use 75% less energy and last ten times as long as traditional incandescents. They’re also cooler, meaning you’ll save money on office energy costs.
Dive Into A Carpool: If you work from home, pat yourself on the back for protecting the environment by not driving to work. If you do need to commute, organize a carpool with a friend who works in the same company or nearby.
Ban The Water Cooler: Eliminate the waste production and energy consumption of traditional water coolers and fountains. Instead, install an inexpensive water filter on the kitchen tap and keep a pitcher of filtered tap water in the refrigerator so that employees have access to cold, fresh water.
Go Paperless: Save paper, storage, and postage costs by reducing paper use whenever possible. Encourage all employees to think twice before hitting the PRINT button. Use email to distribute internal memos or customer newsletters. Share and edit documents using a wiki program.
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Reuse envelopes to circulate internal documents. Develop an excellent website that makes catalogs obsolete.
Recruit The Stars: It’s difficult to operate an office these days without the requisite supply of electronics such as fax machines, copiers, computers, and coffee machines.
Reduce your energy bill by purchasing energy-efficient models that carry the ENERGY STAR® label. Many ENERGY STAR® machines, such as laser printers, copiers, and faxes, also have an automatic standby mode that saves energy when the machine is not actively in use.

Ring In Arbor Day With Your Little Treehuggers

Jenn Savedge — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:49:00 +0000

This Friday (April 25th) most states across the U.S will celebrate Arbor Day…a holiday designed to honor, commemorate, and (most importantly) plant trees. It’s a great day to stop and smell the acorns and teach your kids why trees are worth hugging! Plant a seed with these kid-friendly Arbor Day ideas…

ID A Tree: Do you know what kind of trees are growing in your neighborhood? Take a walk with your kids and see how many you can identify. Don’t know your elms from your sycamores? Check out The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Identification Guide for a cheat sheet.

Eat From A Tree: Trees clean the air, stabilize the soil, cool the climate, provide a home for birds and wildlife, filter noise, and provide us with a wide variety of yummy treats to eat. Enjoy some tree treats today such as maple syrup, apples, hazelnuts, walnuts, oranges, and even chewing gum.

Save A Tree: Paper makes up over 1/3 of the waste in the landfill, yet it can so easily be reused and recycled. Save a tree today by going paperless, recycling, or even taking a stab at making your own paper.

Plant A Tree: Show trees some love by making sure there’s plenty to go around. Head out to your local nursery and buy a tree to plant yourself, or pledge online to have one planted for you (Check out Dell’s new Plant A Tree For Me Program). And don’t forget, Kedzie Press will plant a tree for every purchase of The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living as part of their effort to plant a million trees by Dec, 2009.