10 More Green Tips for Freelancers Who Want to Help the Environment
Posted August 16, 2011 in Lifestyle
Several years ago, we wrote 10 Ways to Green Your Home Office. That post has some really great suggestions for freelancers who want to conserve resources and we got a lot of great feedback from you, our readers.
Well, it’s time to revisit the topic.
As a freelancer, you may already be consuming less energy than a traditional worker by avoiding the commute to work. But you can do even more.
If you’re like many freelancers, you’re ready to do even more to conserve resources and keep your freelancing business green.
We’re here to help. In this post, we share ten additional ideas to help you conserve resources. We’ve also listed a few websites where you can learn even more.
Ten Tips to Conserve Resources
Here are ten more eco-friendly tips to help you conserve resources:
- Turn it off. Whether it’s a light in a room you’re not in or a piece of office equipment you’re not using, or an appliance in your home–the rule should be: Turn it off.
- Unplug and save energy. Did you know that many appliances continue to draw power even after they’re turned off? Unplug them when you’re not using them to save power. You’ll save money too!
- Recyle ink toner cartridges. Many companies remanufacture old printer cartridges and even pay the postage for you to return the cartridge to them. Check with your manufacturer or local office supply store to see if your printer cartridge qualifies.
- Donate cell phones, eye glasses, and old computer equipment. There are many things that you may be done with that can still be used by someone else. Items to donate include your old cell phone, your old eyeglasses, and your old computer equipment. (Be sure to delete personal information from your cell phone and computer before you donate them.)
- Embrace online communications. Send invoices and letters electronically whenever possible. Avoiding printing documents when you can. You’ll use less paper and your office will be less cluttered as well.
- Adjust the thermostat. Turn the thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter to use less energy. Use fans (in the summer) and dress warmly (in the winter) to stay comfortable.
- Use eBooks. Not only are eBooks convenient with their instant download feature, but they’re also environmentally friendly. When you choose an Ebook over its paper counterpart, you are using less paper.
- Keep the snacks in the kitchen. You spend a lot of time in your home office. You may be tempted to add a microwave, coffeemaker, or small refrigerator to your workspace to make it more comfortable. Resist that temptation! All those appliances use electricity. (Plus, you’ll get exercise making the trek to the kitchen.)
- Plant something. Even if you don’t have a backyard, you can still keep houseplants in your home office. Did you know that having a houseplant around can help to make the air cleaner?
- Borrow something or share. If you need something only occasionally rather than all the time, consider borrowing it from a friend. If you can’t borrow it, see if you can find another freelancer who would be willing to split the cost with you and share the item.
More Resources
Would you like to learn even more about living a green lifestyle and home and at work? Of course, there are many eco-friendly resources available. In this post, we are sharing just a few that you may find interesting.
Here are some resources you may wish to check out:
- EcoGeek. Keep up with the latest news that impacts the environment.
- MetaEfficient. MetaEfficient reviews products for both environmental friendliness and efficiency.
- SmartPlanet. A site that focuses on technology designed to make the planet a better place.
- Envirogadget.com. If you’re shopping for a new gadget, be sure to check here to discover how it might impact the environment.
- The Junk Wave. A blog dedicated to turning junk into something better. The blog also benefits students who are at risk.
Your Turn
We’ve shared some suggestions and some resources. Now it’s your turn. What measures do you take to keep your home office green?
Share your tips and suggestions in the comments. If you have a green resource to share, you can leave it in the comments also. We’d love to make this post a resource freelancers can come to again and again and you can help by adding your tips.
Image by Daniel R. Blume
Related posts:
- How Freelancers Can Save the Environment
- Freelancers: Inspire yourself, Vary your Working Environment
- Just Launched! Ecosimply.com — Practical & Modern Tips For Going Green
- 10 Ways to Green Your Home Office
- 4 Tips from Someone Who Has Hired Over 25 Freelancers
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 20 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts. Laura is also on Google+.
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16 Comments
Harleena Singh
August 16th, 2011 at 12:27 pmHi Laura,
Interesting post not only for freelancers, but for anyone who would want to contribute to the environment by conserving resources. I would add to use more of natural light and replace all your bulbs with CFL bulbs, as they use up less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs. Go natural as much as possible, including your furniture, your edibles, etc.
Thanks for sharing!
Leo
August 16th, 2011 at 2:06 pmI’ve just recently decided to focus on environmentally sustainable design and am in the process of implementing it. And I’m so pleased to see your post as it’s becoming more and more relevant and important. Just a few simple things that I’ve done as a graphic designer to go easy on the environment are:
1. Running a paperless an office
2. Using printers who recycle and who use environmentally friendly ink
3. Using recycled or eco friendly paper when I print samples for clients
4. Donating a tree for each new client (I donate the trees through a reputable company who are planting an indigenous forest in our province)
5. Using a Mac!
They’re really easy things that I know I can sustain over a long period of time. One tree at a time!
Kayla Knight
August 16th, 2011 at 3:19 pmI love that it’s so easy by working from home to be eco-friendly…saves the environment and my wallet :). One more thing I do personally is since I can’t avoid using all paper products and office supplies, I tend to go for the ‘greener’ versions. I buy paper, notebooks, and etc. that are partially recycled and many companies make items that are fully degradable.
Great set of tips here, I think it’s especially important for anyone that runs a business to think greener in order to lower cost overhead (and just simple social responsibility!)
Laura Spencer
August 16th, 2011 at 5:05 pmGreat comments!
Harleena Singh–I like the idea of going natural.
Leo, Great list. Thanks for adding your ideas. Donating trees is a very interesting commitment. Do you mind sharing which company you go through to make the donations.
Kayla Knight–I do agree that it’s easy for freelancers to take eco-friendly steps. Recycled paper and supplies is definitely a good approach.
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August 17th, 2011 at 12:12 amHey Laura!
This is an interesting post. I’ve been a free lancer my self for quite long time & I must say you’ve quoted the exact points in your article. Good Work.
WOG
August 17th, 2011 at 1:28 amHi Laura,
My share for this advocacy is to use re-cycled water when flushing the toilet. Also, avoid using too much toilet paper. We can also recycle the blank pages of our old notebooks so that we can use it for taking down notes and instead of buying memo pads or post-it, we can use scratch papers for leaving a important notes.
Office Supplies
August 17th, 2011 at 6:56 amGreat article Laura, regards point three where you talk about the recycling old printer cartridges, many charities will collect these and then sell them on to the re-manufacturing companies. It’s a nice revenue steam for charities for relatively little work involved. Have a look online for charities that run such a scheme in your area.
Laura Spencer
August 17th, 2011 at 11:06 amGreat tip! I didn’t realize that charities were recycling printer cartridges.
Leo
August 18th, 2011 at 6:53 amHey Laura
Donating trees is one of the easiest ways I’ve found to reduce your carbon footprint without needing to make too drastic changes to your lifestyle. Years back one of my clients shared this with me and I’ve been doing it ever since.
I live in Cape Town in South Africa, so I sponsor trees in the Platbos Forest – http://www.platbos.co.za/ . But I’m sure that every country has their own responsible reforestation project that people in the area can help grow.
An Environmental Studies friend of mine has recently pointed out that you need to ensure that a responsible reforestation project is chosen. Trees always help, but make sure that they’re indigenous and planted in a responsible manner so that there is a truly positive impact on the environment.
I’d been considering changing my corporate gifts to little plant succulents for my client’s offices – and she again made me aware that not all succulents sold are harvested in a responsible manner…and hinted that some suppliers remove plants from their natural habitat thus destroying the succulent growth in the area.
Bottom line – do your homework before jumping in. Worst case – you’ll be more educated, and being knowledgeable in of itself is a big step towards making a change.
Jungo
August 19th, 2011 at 7:21 amGreat tips and resources (at the end of the post). I have been looking for more ways to going green through out my writing career and personal life; with the resources at end I can do just that.
alex
August 22nd, 2011 at 2:39 amWaste Management of Los Angeles is teaming up with the Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) for the ‘Bag your Shoes’ campaign happening now! The goal is to collect 1,000 pairs of shoes! Come down and “recycle” your shoes, see you at the game! http://youtu.be/jk1mH9JvRr0
Bakari
August 22nd, 2011 at 12:17 pmSince I started using my iPad over a year ago, I have not printed out more than five sheets of paper. I use this device for reading e-books, articles, and accessing important documents. I do the same with my iPhone.
Handmade Soap Guy
August 23rd, 2011 at 4:35 pmGreat article. It has already been said but I think this can apply to many not in freelancing as well. I particularly like #9 and 10 for myself. :) Thank you.
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