Making Your Home Business More Eco-Friendly

Typically the Green Connoisseur brings you important products, new eco-friendly items and information on how 'green' can still be luxurious. Today, we'd like to focus a little on the entrepreneurs and business owners who visit our blog. Below you'll find some great green tips for making your home business more eco-friendly. Less Paper Those who work on the computer via e-mail and chat conferences are already engaging in a green practice; using less paper. However, there are some things that will need to be printed and for that, it's important to choose the right kind of paper. Purchase locally sourced paper as opposed to imported paper. Typically, the cheaper paper is the imported kind. Less energy and waste is involved in the process of making local paper, whereas the imported kind is typically from China. China must import products into their company to create the paper and by the time it's finished and shipped back to us to purchase, a great deal of waste has accumulated and a great deal of energy has been used. Of course, recycled paper is always a good idea as well. Recycling Printer Cartridges Recycling your printer cartridges is a must if you want to keep your home office as eco-friendly as possible. Unfortunately, many printer cartridges are difficult to recycle, and they may be destined for the landfill. In this situation, Waste Farmers or a similar company can really help. Waste Farmers is a company devoted to finding a way to recycle everything - from electronics and scrap metal to plastic and mixed products. Devoted to helping companies create zero waste, Waste Farmers can be a huge help when it comes to making your home office more eco-friendly. Reducing Energy Waste Reducing energy waste is a huge part of making your home office greener. Most individuals make a conscious effort to turn off the light when they leave the room, but you can take it even further. Leaving a computer monitor on overnight uses as much energy as printing 800 pages on a laser printer, and research says more than 70% of computer monitors are left on overnight. Rather than relying on overhead lights during the day, open the blinds and allow natural light to come inside. Simple measures like this can make a huge difference in how green your home office is! Green Up the Office with Plants Plants are wonderful at making you feel more comfortable in your environment and they're great for decorating. Even better, they help to remove harmful elements in the air. From formaldehyde to ammonia - office furniture and electronics often emit harmful contaminants. Plants help remove these contaminants. Find the top 10 plants for removing harmful chemicals from the indoor air here. Purchasing Green Products For all of your office needs, strive to purchase products that are recycled and created from sustainable resources. Websites like The Green Office provide all sorts of things one needs for a home office, and they're all recycled or created from sustainable resources. The great thing about The Green Office is that they have options for everyone - from those just getting started making their office more eco-friendly to those who are striving for a zero waste office. While none of these things are difficult to implement in your home office, each one of them can make a huge difference! Photos Courtesy of www.TheGreenOffice.com, www.ManchesterRecycles.com, www.LuckyBambooShop.com.