The advent of mobile and computer technology means that more of our records can be stored electronically than ever before. In addition to being unsightly and impossible to sort, physical record-keeping can be environmentally taxing and creates a lot of paper waste. By choosing to go paperless in the following aspects of life, you can create a positive environmental impact while also improving the look of your home and office.
At Home
Choose Reusable Wraps and Bowls over Disposable Dishes and Plastic Wrap
These days, it is possible to waste so much paper and plastic just by using disposable dishes and plastic wraps. Even if waxed paper seems slightly better, the disposable industry keeps us reliant on paper for items like napkins and paper towels.
With a small lifestyle adjustment, you can choose washable items for each of these options: pots and bowls can be covered with reusable and one-size-fits-most silicone lids while being stored, and plastic wrap can be replaced with eco-friendly options like cloth covers lined with beeswax. Instead of using piles of napkins, work with your family to use more cloth napkins and to wipe up with sponges and dish towels.
Make Gift-Giving a No-Waste Affair
Purchasing large rolls of gift wrap each year, only to throw it all away the next year feels wasteful and tough to justify at times. One creative method to reduce your gift wrap is to go new-paper-free with your parcels: save grocery bags, children’s artwork, any newspaper or magazine that enters the house, and pull out the bin before a holiday. Give these items a second life by using them as wrapping paper, and save brown paper grocery bags for parcels that are being mailed, so you don’t have to use plastic mailers or other mailing products.
No Receipt Needed!
Whenever possible, ask to not receive a receipt on your purchases, or to get the receipt emailed directly to you. This makes it much easier to pull out receipts by using keyword searches of your email, rather than scrounging around the house when you want to balance your checkbook. While you are industriously doing this, go online and follow EcoCycle’s process for ending the junk mail that determinedly arrives at your house, and sign up for all regular bills to arrive as paperless formats. It lifts so much of a burden off your shoulders to feel like your bills are all accessible and not hidden under a pile of unsightly junk mail somewhere in the house.
In the Office
Invest Time in Cloud-Based Records
Many companies remain tied to enormous dusty filing cabinets simply because the project of digitizing records seems like it would take too long. By being the one who volunteers for the switchover process, you can be the change you want to see in the world. By staying organized, labeling files carefully, and making sure that you store both the original file and a back-up version online in a secure location, you can create far more accessible records while saving everyone in the office time as you move forward. You might be recognized or not, but you’ll take pride in the efficient and eco-friendly impact you are having.
Find Non-Paper Solutions to Corporate Dining Occasions
Most of the times when disposable dishes and silverware are used include times when no one considered ahead of time how to avoid such waste. To start the process for your company, consider how the dining events in your office could change for the better: could you all go out to eat at a restaurant rather than having catering bring a bunch of disposable dishes to you? Could the office invest in a simple and easy to clean set of dishes so that people can use them and wash up afterwards? Talk with your supervisor about your vision for a simple shift from relying on disposables at the last minute to planning ahead.
When you have a harmonious and paperless office, you’ll find that your mind is less cluttered as well. To make your sleep a stress-free experience as well using an all-natural mattress, visit us at My Green Mattress.
