Five Easy Ways to Go Green for Earth Day

Each April, Earth Day throws a spotlight on the many ways we can go green and lower our carbon footprint. Earth Day is an important day for the green movement, but any time is the right moment to begin living a more sustainable life. It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to start living green, and with a few simple changes, you can start small and build new habits that will lead to a more eco-friendly life. In honor of Earth Month, here are a few easy and inexpensive ways to tread lightly on the earth this year.

Turn Off the Printer in Your Home Office

While the paperless office is not yet a reality, it is certainly possible to reduce the amount of wasted ink and paper by printing less. Make it a habit to leave your printer off and don’t make paper copies unless it’s truly necessary. Lots of information can be saved directly to your computer files or bookmarked in a folder for future reference. If you absolutely must print something out, recycle paper by using only the blank side of previously printed copies. Setting smaller margins will also save paper by increasing the amount of printable area on each page.

Unplug Electrical Devices When Not in Use

Appliances and household electronics may appear to be dead when you hit the off button; however, these items still consume power and waste precious electricity when they remain plugged into outlets. Make it a habit to go through your home unplugging these electrical vampires that silently suck electricity even when they aren’t active. After you’ve turned off appliances and unplugged them, make it a new habit to also shut off lights whenever you leave a room.

Using a power strip is another great way to save electricity. Plug all your devices like the computer, printer and scanner into a power strip and turn it off when you leave your office to ensure these devices won’t draw any electricity when not in use. (Don’t forget to turn your computer off when you’re done using it–leaving your computer on and using a screensaver is another energy drain!)

Turn Off the Water When You Brush Your Teeth

Conserving water when performing everyday grooming tasks like bathing, showering or brushing your teeth is an excellent way to start living green. How many times have you let the water run for minutes while you brush your teeth or wash your face? Water is a precious resource and you could conceivably save gallons of water by becoming more mindful about letting the tap run while brushing your teeth.