Being “green” in the workplace really isn’t that difficult.

One thing that I’ve been trying to do here at Pixels and Code is run as close to paper-free as possible. For a few years now, my wife and I have shredded and recycled all of our waste paper. I’ve simply transferred that thinking to my office space.

I do print things out for later reference, but when I’m done with those items, they get shredded and recycled. Bank statements and receipts get scanned, stored, and then shredded/recycled. Junk mail, especially credit card offers or “convenience checks,” immediately goes through the shredder.

And how do we recycle the shreddings? Several different ways: mostly, they go into large plastic garbage bags (which we reuse later), and are taken to the recycle center down the road and emptied into the “Office Paper” bin. We also have recently learned that shredded paper (the non-glossy, white office paper is best) can be used as mulch in your yard or garden. Just be sure that you don’t add it to your vegetable garden - any lead, ink, etc. can leach into your veggies, and that does no one any good.

Lastly, since I work from my home currently, I have little to no vehicle/gas expenses. I rely on natural light as much as possible, and keep the A/C off (or, now that summer has us in its grasp, set a couple degrees higher than I normally would), relying on the ceiling fan and small desk fans to keep me cool.

Being “green” in the workplace really isn’t that difficult. It does require a change of mindset if you’re not used to it, but in the end, it’s worth the small amount of effort required.

[NOTE: This article was originally posted on the author's web site.]