Green Tips Home and Office
Every one of us has a responsibility and an opportunity to do something good for the planet we call home. From being good stewards of our own yards to helping out with pollution controls in our cities, we are the ones who can make the biggest impact. When you take some easy steps to make small changes, it gives you a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Not to mention it helps us all.

Here at Office Tracker we've always strived to be green. It's a philosophy the original founders started long before the company began. Recycling, buying local food, sharing rides, using solar power, wearing natural fibers, avoiding chemicals as much as possible - these are all fundamental things that most everyone can easily incorporate into their lives.

Following are some very simple steps you can take now to start making change.

- Share a ride to work. It doesn't have to be *every* day, but most people could commit to at least once or twice a week. Every Monday and Tuesday for example. Get the work week started off right. Way too many cars are on the road with single occupants. Automobiles and the exhaust they produce is one of our biggest environmental problems.

- Consider the distance you will travel before heading off in the car. Do you *need* to go shopping for one single item or can you make do without it this time?

- Buy local food and products whenever it's possible. If expense is an issue you may try hooking up with a CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) farm in your area and consider becoming a member. They offer "shares" of their crops for a very reasonable fee and you pick up a box of fresh produce once a week at the farm.

- Use glasses and washable coffee cups and plates at work. Buy everyone a great stainless thermal mug for Christmas. Good Grips makes a good one.

- Use reusable bags for shopping - not just for groceries but all shopping. Acme bags makes a neat mesh bag that stuffs down into it's own attached pouch and fits easily into a purse, laptop case or even a pocket.

- Replace your light bulbs with energy saving bulbs. You'll save more money than you might think! Open the blinds and use natural ight whenever possible. Get out of the habit of lighting everything up so bright - is it really necessary or just the way it's always been?

- Wear lighter clothing if you live where you require air conditioning most of the time and turn the thermostat up a a degree or two. If you are in a colder climate, do the opposite, wear heavier clothing and sweaters and turn the heat down.

- Water is one of the biggest energy consumption problems. Cities must use a great deal of energy to process our water. Consider collecting rain water for your garden. Take shorter showers. Install low flow toilets and shower heads. Ask your city if they are working on "gray water" programs where water can be used for irrigation without processing it for safe drinking.

- Reduce paper use at the office. Don't print things just "because". Use both sides of the paper. Use .pdf instead of printing to paper. Recycle what you can. If your office doesn't have a recycling program, get a group together to try to make it happen. Maybe you can carry a load of paper to a recyling center once a month. Or find a private entity that wants the paper for some other product. Be creative.

- Turn off computers and other electronics when they are not in use. Don't leave everything running over the weekend. Use power strips so it's easy to turn everything off at once.

- If you can't afford to solar power your house, try small steps like using solar yard lights. Or building your own solar water heater - there are many plans online.

- Be mindful of what you do and where you spend your money. This may be one of the easier things you can do to be green.