Home Office Answers

I have seen this picture all over the net and TV with all kinds of captions and I really think the obvious needs to be stated.

Obama may enjoy bike riding, he may be participating in some family time, he may just be trying to relax. All great reasons to ride a bike.

Obama is most certainly NOT avoiding the gas pump.

He jets all over the country day in and day out and if I remember he jetted on out of the country too for a little R&R not that long ago.

Once he gets to his destination by air he then drives a vehicle all over a state. I don’t know the facts but I am guessing there are several other cars that make the same trect to keep him up to date on “things.”

Obama is not unique in his use of fuel from any other politician or many of millions of business people in this country, so please spare me by turning a weekend bike ride into a fuel saving political ad.

I would like to see any politician make a REAL commitment to minimal fuel usage.

How about both candidates agreeing today, no more traveling to campaign. Make all your statements right from your home. Think how much fuel and money that would save the hard working American people that keep donating their money to these campaigns.

Photo via AP

Going green in your home office is a step by step program. I try new ideas all the time to see what works for me.

Printing less and using less paper is a win-win for me. My home office goes green and I stay more organized.
After trying to reduce your home office use of paper as much as possible, it’s still unavoidable that you’ll need paper and printing supplies.

Now it’s time to make sure you are using sustainable paper options

Luckily there are many green paper options available. Your local office or stationery store probably carries recycled paper. I think it’s fun to look around at the different options recycled paper now comes in. There’s really no excuse for using virgin paper when there are so many tree-friendly types available. You can order bulk supplies online from many retailers as well.

My favorite source for everything a green home office might need is The Green Office. In addition to extensive paper choices, they offer all kinds of green office products from furniture to phones to ink.

Take a look at the Green Office site to see what you might need. As fun as shopping at the local retailer is, saving my time and my gas by shopping on-line is the way I choose to go.

Always make sure you really need paper, or printing supplies before you order them. Try to order at least a few months supply at a time to save on packaging and shipping.

When my Flip and Tumble reusable bags arrived in my mailbox I was surprised, all 7 bags I ordered were neatly packed into one envelope. I didn’t realize they were so small. When the bag is in the attached pouch it’s a tad smaller than a baseball. It reminds me a lot of the hacky sacks my son used to play with when he was younger.

Now that I have had a chance to do some shopping with the bags here’s my review.

What I like about the bag

1) Colors- I love the color choices, so many eco-friendly bags are boring green.
Raspberry is my favorite.

2) It is ultra light weight; I don’t even know it’s in my purse. I can easily toss 5 in my small purse.

3) The bag stretches to hold all types and sizes of objects.

4) The shoulder strap makes it much easier to carry than a traditional plastic bag.

5) It’s effortless - putting in back in the pouch is sorta fun and that makes it easy to remember to toss it back in the purse for the next time.

What I didn’t like

1) The bag is wrinkled when it comes out of the pouch, no big deal.

2) The price seems to be a little on the high side, but I think it’s worth paying a little extra to have a bag I like, because I will use it.

If you don’t have a reusable bag I recommend ordering a flip and tumble.

  Okay, I admit it I was “hooked” on plastic bottled water.  I bought into the advertising insinuations that bottled water is tastier and healthier.  Plus, it just seemed cooler to drink water from the mountain stream or some other auspicious place. 

It’s ironic that the millions of plastic bottles used for water are actually destroying the very mountain stream they claim to use.

Did you know making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil in 2006, enough fuel for more than 1 million United States cars for a year, and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide?

Worldwide, 2.7 million tons of plastic are used each year to make water bottles, and in the United States, less than 1 out of 5 of these bottles are recycled.

The rest find their way into landfills and just sit there for decades to come.

Why should we waste precious oil and energy and create pollution for a plastic bottle?

Besides wasting our precious resources bottled water is plain expensive.

Do you know how much cold cash do you spend on bottled water? If you drink eight glasses a day from plastic bottled water, you could spend up to $1,400 dollars a year! Bottled water can cost as much as $10 per gallon compared to less than a penny per gallon for tap water.

I can think of a lot better ways to spend $1400.00 than drinking plastic bottled water, how about you?

An easy way to go green at home or at the office, give up the plastic bottled water habit. Save your cash and the environment, use a safe reusable water bottle (I recommend SIGG, or something similar) or the glass in your kitchen cupboard.

Bestselling Author David Bach is teaming up with Waterkeeper Alliance and Gaiam, Inc. This time Bach is going to show us a whole new way to get rich living green.  I am so excited to get this book. “Go Green, Live Rich” outlines fifty ways to make your life, your home, your shopping, and your finances greener–and get rich trying.  Besides getting a great book and helping planet earth, if you pre-order Bach’s book from greengreen.com  before 4/8 you get lots of extra bonuses and you’ll be entered to win additional prizes.  The grand prize is an awesome vacation package. Take a look at the site for details.

Bach will be on the Today Show Monday so hurry on over an order your copy before the rush.

I already ordered mine.

  Trade-Ins’ are not just for cars anymore. 
Similar to the way you trade in your car when you are ready for a newer model it is now possible to trade in some of your used office electronics and receive gift cards in exchange at both Best Buy and Circuit City.

Of course if you have the time and inclination you can probably sell your used electronics on EBay or thru another auction venue. 

The trade-in option is convenient, quick and easy, plus you can find out up front how much your gift card will be issued for.  Unlike auctions, where if you don’t have a reserve, you may get less than you expected.

Best Buy and Circuit City offer similar programs to trade in your office electronics.

Best Buy Trade In

Circuit City Trade In

Best Buy goes a step further with older equipment that they do not accept for trade in.  You may not be able to get a gift card but if it is less than 70 pounds they may send you a free shipping pick up ticket to have the item recycled at no cost to you. 

I am excited to see the stores making it easy for us to make our home office green.  With the easy trade in and recycling programs I have reviewed I don’t think I’ll ever need to throw away an office electronic again.

Do you know of other trade in or recycling programs?  Please tell me about them.

  Oprah’s guest Simran called for “A Real Light Bulb Moment” encouraging all of us to switch to the energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs on the recent going green show. 

The benefits of using the CFL’s have been in the main stream media a while now and chances are you know all about how they save energy, last longer and reduce carbon emissions.  All good things I might add.I think it is important that you also know these bulbs are made with small amounts of mercury and need special attention if a broken bulb occurs.

What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks

EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines:
These guidelines are continually being updated so be sure to check the EPA website for updates

Before Clean-up: Ventilate the Room

• 1. Have people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• 2. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• 3. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• 4. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• 5. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• 6. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• 7. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

• 4. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• 5. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• 6. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• 7. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

• 8. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
• 9. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• 10. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Ventilate the Room During and After Vacuuming

• 11. The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
• 12. Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

What should I do with a CFL when it burns out?

EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local recycling options for compact fluorescent light bulbs. EPA is working with CFL manufacturers and major U.S. retailers to expand recycling and disposal options. Consumers can contact their local municipal solid waste agency directly, or go to www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling or www.earth911.org to identify local recycling options.

If your state permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the bulb in two plastic bags and put it into the outside trash, or other protected outside location, for the next normal trash collection. CFLs should not be disposed of in an incinerator.