It doesn’t make sense that more people aren’t going green these days. With our economy the way it is, you would think that more and more people would be jumping onboard. If they only knew how much money they could save, it wouldn’t matter that they are saving the world in the process.
When there is greater emphasis these days on recycling and reusing old items, why would people who are struggling with money actually refuse? You’d be surprised how easy it is to recycle or just reuse items that you might otherwise throw away. Keep your money in your pocket and embrace recycling.
On that note, conserving what we have is a great idea too. There are times when we don’t realize how much we can impact our environment when we simply conserve. There was something about conservation that most ancient cultures understood. But we stepped ourselves up into the age of mass production and we just think we have the right to rape the land.
Ancient cultures would have used sayings like, “Only take what you need.” There is no need to hoard supplies or overindulge at the buffet when a concerted effort exists to make sure that we always have enough for everyone. But, most people would say that’s unrealistic.
At this point, it might seem unrealistic. But, most people are in the same boat while there are a few on either extreme. That means that most people can work together to recycle as well as conserve. With each person doing her or his own part, we can make it happen.
Now that my public service announcement about recycling and conservation is over, let’s discuss a few ways to make that happen. Remember, practice recycling and conservation strategies at work as well as at home. Big businesses need help in going green too and with everyone working together, it makes a great impact.
Turn your computers off at the end of the day and turn off the lights as you leave the room. I know, I sound like your mother talking to you when you were young. But, it does make sense to keep these strategies now that we find ourselves in tough financial times. Do this at work too. Turn the lights off at work when everyone’s leaving. We can’t afford to leave them on all night.
Quit printing everything. Big companies spew paper like it’s nothing and it feels like we lose a few trees a day just for one business to send its useless memos back and forth. Email and Instant Messaging is now an option for those people who need to communicate. It saves time and money just to send an email or for more personal notes, to get in contact via instant message.
At home, not everything needs printed out there either. In fact, it’s just easier to do everything on the computer. I have made the argument that storage on a computer can never really be deleted. At least, it’s harder to delete than losing a piece of paper. So, saving information on a computer is actually safer than on hard copy.
Finally, companies and homes can join together on this next task. With nearly every aspect of work being accomplished on a computer, it’s very cost effective and eco-friendly to start sending workers home for those portions of their jobs that they can perform with a phone, a computer and internet access.
That final solution works for everyone all around. People can wake up when they are ready as long as they know their deadlines and can be trusted to meet them. They won’t be driving to work or commuting in any way on those days they don’t have to go to the office. The business will actually save in energy and other resources that workers use when they are at the office like coffee, water, lights and other items that they can’t feasibly request to take with them for assistance doing their jobs at home.
Recycling and conservation go hand in hand since they are means to a very wonderful end. If we can save our earth for the generations we are introducing to it now, then hopefully they will be able to do the same. These ideas aren’t new. The more you start utilizing these strategies, the more you will want to seek out others.
