We Like to Hug the Planet, Without Spending Lots of Green

If you didn't already guess it from the name, or the color scheme, we're a little bit tree-huggerish over here.  Not the 'chaining ourselves to the tree' type, just the 'eco-friendly, so we can sleep at night' types.  So we put together a quick list of 7 ways we go green, without spending lots of green.  Try a few out if you like, and share any gems you have in the comments.  After all, who doesn't like to feel good and save money?   

1- Want cleaner air? Buy some plants.

Why spend money and electricity on expensive allergen removal and air purification systems, when a $5 houseplant can do a better job?  Even those with a black thumb (like myself) can vastly improve the air quality in the office with some tough to kill houseplants. 

2- Don't buy it new!

One upside of the economic downtown is that you can get great deals on barely used office furniture and equipment.  You'll probably find your best deals on Craigslist, but don't forget to check freecycle, the local newspaper, or local furniture rental and electronic stores.  You can save a bundle and be green at the same time.  On the flip side, if you're ditching old furniture, don't forget to try and donate before just tossing it in the trash bin.  You can probably even write off the donation, but check your tax code first. 

3- Unplug your chargers and get smart about power strips.

Phone, camera, and laptop chargers all continue to suck energy even when they aren't connected to a device.  Unplugging them may be an extra step, so why not run all your chargers to a single power strip?  Then you only have to unplug one thing, or you can even plug it into a light switch controlled outlet and be even lazier.  There are also smart power strips that can automatically power down your peripherals when you put your computer into sleep mode. 

4- Charge less in the first place by extending your battery life.

Sure, we should all know the tricks on extending our laptop's battery life, but here's a refresher anyway.  Don't forget to turn off that wireless mouse or keyboard at the end of the day either.  If you're tired of swapping out batteries on your wireless mouse, try a rechargeable one. 

5- Save your travel dollars.  Video conference and collaborate for free.

The high cost of travel can easily be avoided with a friendly video conference.  Several services offer free video conferencing, such as our personal favorite, Skype.  You can also utilize Google Wave, an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration.  

6- Go paperless, completely.

A lot of companies talk about how they are paperless, all the while burning through reams of paper.  Smart phones can handle pretty much everything now, from electronic boarding passes, to schedulers and everything in between.  Take the one week challenge and see if you can survive.  Toss the sticky pads in a drawer, use a company bulletin board to post copies of memos and presentations, get creative!  If you absolutely can't hack it, then at least fill your printer with used printer paper and just print double sided.  Chances are you will be tossing whatever you print anyway. 

7- Stop the paper coming to you.

It may seem hard to believe, but you can control some of the paper coming IN as well.  Sign up for e-bills from every supplier that offers them, and opt-out of mailing lists.  Time to cancel those magazine subscriptions as well.  If you don't already have a Google Reader account, now is the time to sign up.  You can subscribe digitally to your favorite magazine feeds, as well as blogs posts, and other online media.  Then you can read the articles anytime from your desktop or mobile device.  Why not keep up with the latest news in your industry while waiting in line at the grocery store?  Not sure where to start, check out the feeds we follow, and don't forget about us!