1.27.2008

Think Before You...

Did you know (I LOVE starting sentences off like that) the average American office worker prints 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year (that's 110 pounds) compared to the average British worker who prints 8,000. That's still a lot, but this blog is about baby steps. I get, on average, 200 emails a day and sometimes, I get a whole lot more. It is too easy to read an email, realize I need an address for a meeting, hit print, and send 5 pages of correspondence to my printer in order to pull out 3 lines of information for later. How much easier would it have been to write that address into a planner I'm already using, put it in my blackberry, or write it on the back of a piece of scrap paper?

Besides the obvious environmental impacts, think about it. You hit print, walk to the printer, go through several sheets of paper, find what you need, circle it, fold it, put it away (or even worse, you print it only to add it to you blackberry/planner as well).

That's the thing. You've just received 200 emails, your brain is fried, and you're not thinking. I can't tell you how many times in a work day I just DO NOT think. Processing my workload becomes an automatic task and somewhere along the line, thinking was moved a little bit lower on the priority list.

Sometimes we need little reminders to think. So even though you find it may obnoxious the first time you see it, those little reminders at the bottom of emails asking you to THINK before printing aren't talking down to you - they're reminding all of us, who are over worked and over-processed, to just take a small moment from our too fast-paced days and think before we do something. Think before printing the email (on clean paper, no less). Think about whether there is there is another way to retain the information before printing. Yes, sometimes you will still have to print, but hey, sometimes you may not.

1.25.2008

As a chronic multi-tasker and a person with a longer than average commute in the AM, I like to get my day started before I get to the office.  Sometimes I read, be it the paper, a new script, or a novel I'm just dying to finish.  Other times I check and respond to email (the latter happening far less often).  However, something that has become a consistent part of my rush hour craziness is my first cup of coffee.  When we first switched offices, I would get my morning pick up at the Starbucks that was at the halfway point of my commute.  Now, before you go on your Starbucks tirade, I would like to point out that Stabucks is actually a very socially responsible company, but I'll save that for another blog.  More recently, I have begun to make my coffee at home more often than not, but every once in while the green apron still calls me and I'll treat myself.  

Regardless if I make my coffee at home or if I pick it up at Starbucks, I use one of my handy dandy coffee tumblers.  I'm particularly fond of the Starbucks "extreme" tumbler as it's leak proof and has a clip, so if I finish my coffee before I get to work, I can actually clip it to my purse strap and have a free hand.  Don't laugh, it doesn't look as odd as you might imagine.  I recommend that everyone who drinks coffee on their way to work, school, gym (actually, don't drink coffee before the gym) pick up a tumbler of their own.  You don't have to go with the extreme tumble.  The best time to get them is post-holiday.  Grab a not-too-themed holiday tumbler the few days after said holiday and the price will be reduced by up to 60%, bringing them as low as a couple of dollars.  

In addition to the elation you will cause yourself by realizing you're no longer just adding to trash piles by disregarding your white paper cup (although I hope you were recycling the lid!), every time you bring your own mug, Starbucks gives you $.10 off your drink.  Many independent coffee shops offer a similar, if not greater discount - and I have never been turned away for using one company's tumbler at another coffee shop.  I know you're not going to buy those new Stella McCartney boots with the savings, however, if you get coffee everyday on your commute to work (which I know many people who do), you will save $26 in a year.  So, by doing your part to save the planet, you have bought yourself 16 grande coffees at Starbucks.  Good job Everyday Environmentalists!

1.24.2008

This Revolution Will Be Recycled

Not everyone is ready to become a tree-hugging, hemp-wearing, diva cup using environmentalist.  However, there has definitely been a shift in the way we, as a society, think about the resources we use and the way we consume.  Many people I know are looking for simple ways to reduce their carbon footprints without embracing an entirely new way to live or going broke doing so.  My goal is to provide one simple tip a day that any person, no matter location, views, or financial situation, could incorporate into their life and make a difference.  I also plan on occasionally providing information on environmental positions of politicians and corporations , as sometimes, the simplest, yet most powerful, thing we can do is put our support in the right places.