last word

WAYS TO Green Your Office

By Erinn Morgan

Are you looking to make your workplace eco-friendly? Greening your office can be a supremely simple endeavor that can actually save you some money in the long run.

Follow these easy steps, excerpted from Eyecare Business contributing editor Erinn Morgan's recently released book, "Picture Yourself Going Green: Step-by-Step Instruction for Living a Budget-Conscious, Earth-Friendly Lifestyle in Eight Weeks or Less" (available at www.amazon.com), and you're off and running with a newfound eco-consciousness.

■ Clean Up Your Cleaning Supplies: According to the World Health Organization, indoor air pollution ranks among the top five environmental risks to public health.

This problem is mainly the result of the irritating chemicals present in common cleaning products, which can cause everything from headaches and nausea to hormone disruption and liver damage. They can also wreak havoc on local ecosystems when they enter our water supply.

TIP: Opt for natural cleaning products instead and look for those that print their list of ingredients on the label.

■ Reduce Paper Use: Americans each use 741 pounds of paper products each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council.

TIP: Limit your in-office use of the printer and photocopier. If you do need to perform these tasks, try to print or copy on both sides of the paper you are using.

■ Power Down: Since electricity typically burns up fossil fuels for energy, creating carbon emissions, you can help the planet by simply turning off office lights and powering down equipment when not in use.

You can also set computers to "sleep mode" for added savings. In addition, multi-plug power strips make it easy to turn off many appliances all at once.

TIP: If you're inspired to take things a step further, sign up to buy green power through your local electric company. Many sell power supplied by renewable resources for a small monthly fee.

CHOOSE TO Recycle

Since our overflowing land-fills produce a mother lode of methane, a climate-threatening greenhouse gas, this simple act is one of the best things you can do for the planet. Many towns today have a curbside recycling program; check out www.Earth911.org for information on your area's programs or contact your city office to get set up with the service and the appropriate containers for recyclables, such as glass, plastic, and paper.

■ Screw in Some CFLs: A simple step to make your office's energy more earth-friendly is to swap out your traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). These use 75 percent less energy, a substantial electricity savings.

CFLs cost about three to four times more than incandescent bulbs, but they last about 10 to 15 times longer.

TIP: CFLs must be recycled properly. For more info, visit the green website, epa.gov/bulbrecycling. EB