In two recent posts, "Take the Paperless Challenge" and "Paperless Office Solutions" I suggested ways for businesses to take on the sustainability concept of the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) regarding paper. Now, it's your turn! In our personal consulting, we've found one of the easiest ways to transform your home to an improved sustainable lifestyle is to go paperless at home.Granted, truly paperless is something to strive for but here are 19+ tips to get you started.
- Eliminate plastic wear in your kitchen; use only reusable dishes, utensils, and glasses
- Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins
- Replace paper towels, use kitchen towels or at least use recyclable paper towels
- Use recycled facial tissue paper and toilet paper
- Utilize technology to transfer your files from home / work
- Carry reusable bags for shopping and eliminate paper bags
- Install PrintGreen which offers you the option to remove unwanted pages before printing
- If you must print, print to both sides or use single sided paper as scrap paper and purchase 100% post recycled content paper to use in your printer
- For birthday cards and notifications, try sending an e-card or using an online party planning tool
- Share your photos online
- Reduce junk mail
- Commit to all online banking: statements, bill, and payments
- Empty file cabinets: scan and store electronically, use the paper as scratch paper then recycle it
- Read your magazines online and subscribe to e-books
- File your taxes electronically; if receiving a refund, elect to have it automatically deposited to your bank account
- School supplies? Buy recycled notebooks
- Use Digital Post it notes
- In your home office, reuse old folders and in cases where paper is required, buy recycled paper products like Eco jot
- Last but not least, recycle your paper, newspapers, shredded paper…all paper!
What other great ideas are there for going paperless at home?
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