A Greener Home Office

Working from home gives me the opportunity to run a green office. I went to Staples to get paper the other day and took stock of all the recycled products I could get. I have been buying Staples 100% recycled copy paper for a while. It is 20lb, 90 bright, made from 100% recycled paper without using chlorine or chlorine compounds. It serves my purpose as well as non recycled paper and helps me help the environment, that always feels good!

As I searched the shelves, I found that Staples offers more than 3,000 different environmentally friendly office products, not only recycled copy paper, but file folders, packing peanuts , recycled Post-it notes, light bulbs and even recycled storage boxes!
After doing a little research, I found that Staples and Office Depot are both offering environmentally preferable office products. Because I shopped at Staples this time, I noted that they have a program called Staple Soul. Their advertisements reads that Staples Soul, “Reflects their commitment to corporate responsibility. It’s a holistic approach to business that recognizes the close connection between their financial success and their desire to make a positive impact on their associates, communities and the planet…”.  Their positive impact on the planet involves selling Environmentally preferable products, Recycling, an investment in energy conservation and renewable energy and Environmental education. Further research found that Staples offers a variety of services, including options for recycling computers, ink and toner cartridges, cell phones and other personal electronics and even rechargeable batteries. They charge a $10.00 per piece fee for large equipment for dis-assembly and recycling but smaller computer peripherals  such as keyboards, mice and speakers are accepted at no charge.

This is done at any U. S. Staples store! You can also drop off used ink cartridges in store and they have partnered with Collective Good, a nonprofit partner that will take used cell phones, PDAs, pagers, digital cameras and chargers and refurbish the products when possible or recycle them and donate a portion of the proceeds to charity.

No, I don’t work for Staples or own stock! I do think its good for any business, large or small to have a program in place to save energy, recycle and conserve our natural resources. There are a lot of them out there. My office included!

Having just gone for paper, I ended up with about 4 other recycled products for my office and the location where I can take my broken printer, 2 old cell phones and my used ink cartridges! Buying recycled goods and recycling at the same time, part of my greener office plan!

Tips for a Greener Home Office

Image by Koonisutra