According to Oscar the Grouch, it isn’t easy being green. Actually, for us humans it’s getting easier and easier to buy products that don’t destroy the earth. It’s the only planet we’ve got! Earth Day is April 22, so it’s a great time to focus on reducing, reusing and recycling.

Reduce (waste)

Skip plastic and one-use materials. At work, if there’s a dishwasher, consider bringing forks, spoons, etc. from home. If you have to use disposable food and beverage items, try to ensure that they’re made of recycled materials and/or are biodegradable.

Bring your own mugs from home for your coffee or tea, plus a reusable water bottle. Cool designs that are both plastic and BPA free are widely available. Water in plastic bottles is terrible for the environment, not to mention utterly unnecessary. If you don’t like your tap water, install a filter to improve the taste. 

Do you really need to print everything out? The more you can do online, the better. Sure, there are times when you absolutely need to print things out. Use recycled paper. If your printer doesn’t allow for 2-sided printing, flip the sheets you’ve printed on but don’t need over and use those when you can. Online storage solutions are available to keep your documents secure.

How many carrier bags do you really need at the store? They can hold more than one or two items. Even better, bring your own reusable ones. Just keep some in your car so they’re always available.

There are plenty of companies who are reducing their carbon footprint, decreasing the amount of packaging on their products, and using reusable, recyclable or biodegradable materials. Support them where you can to increase the demand for sustainable solutions.

Reuse

Rather than going out and buying something new, which is also wasteful for your wallet, consider whether you’ve already got something you can adapt. Maybe you’ve got a folding table where the work surface is too low for your employees. You can repurpose them pretty easily for standing work at the warehouse or office. 

Can the item be repaired? We’re so used to the throwaway culture that sometimes we don’t even stop to think if an item can be repaired instead of tossing it out in the garbage and buying a new one.

There’s usually a cost-benefit analysis with repairs to make sure it’s the right thing to do. If you have something that’s genuinely on its last legs, it may be too expensive to repair. Some of today’s items, such as laptop computers, are designed to be obsolete in a few years, and repairs aren’t usually worth it for these items either. 

If you’re handy and/or good with a sewing needle, you might find all kinds of things that can be repurposed into something new. The kid’s old bookcase, turned into a nightstand. Curtains that become table runners or placemats. Reusing often means creativity, so let your imagination run wild and still save you some money.

Recycle

Not everything goes into the trash. Many different things can be recycled instead of taking up more space in a landfill.

When your kids outgrow their clothes, see if you can swap with neighbors or colleagues at work. If the clothes are too worn out to give away, maybe turn them into dustcloths.

Almost all electronics should be recycled instead of hurled into the trash. They often contain dangerous materials that can leak into the ground or otherwise cause damage. Search online for sites that will take your e-waste. Some office supply stores will recycle your empty printer ink cartridges for a discount on new ones.

Aluminum cans and glass bottles are easy to recycle (relatively, anyway.) Plastic bottles and some paper products are also tossed in the recyclables bin in some communities.

Got a gift from the in-laws that you’re not fond of? Don’t trash it, but give it to someone who doesn’t know them when the next birthday or holiday rolls around. There’s nothing wrong with regifting. As long as you make sure you don’t regift to the person who gave it to you in the first place!

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Lift Your TableⓇ … SAVE YOUR BACK!