Earth Day Ideas to Protect Our Mother 

 “The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” —Lady Bird Johnson

Every year on Earth Day, April 22, people across the United States gather amidst much fanfare, parades and fireworks to save our planet. No, wait.  That’s Independence Day.

Earth Day leans more toward quiet, reflective time to pay homage to Mother Earth and meditate on ways to heal her, or perhaps add an additional recycle bin near the office copier with a photocopied “Please Recycle” sign affixed to the front.

Recyling paper at the office is certainly a great way to demonstrate an understanding of and respect for our planet and the impact humans have on her, it is only the beginning. There are numerous other ways to reduce your office’s effect on the environment, and the only extra effort required for most of these Earth-friendly options is the time it takes to learn a new way of doing things.

REDUCE…

Waste
Print documents only when necessary, and when you must print, print double-sided documents. Replace handouts with white board or digital presentations at meetings. Eliminates disposable coffee cups by switch to mugs instead. Use Sticky Notes for Windows app or Post-It® app for your phone to create and post paperless notes to yourself.

Cleaning Materials
Ask the building cleaning crew to use only natural, environmentally friendly products to clean your offices. While you are at it, supply your own biodegradable trash bags, toilet paper and paper towels.

REUSE…

Water Bottles
Purchase stainless steel or glass water bottles imprinted with the company logo, of course, for every employee. You’ll advertise your business while doing your part to reduce the number of plastic water bottles purchased in the United States—over 42.6 million  per year according to the Container Recyling Institute—and reduce the number of those bottles that end up in landfills.

Containers
The average American generates 4.38 pounds of trash per day. Of that, only about 1.5 pounds is recycled. Lunches in disposable containers, such as takeout or convenience foods from home, contribute to the mess headed to the landfill. Reduce waste by bringing your lunches in reusable containers and using refillable mugs at your local coffee shop. And your grandma had the right idea when she reused Cool Whip and cottage cheese cartons to store leftovers at home.

RECYCLE…

Fleet Vehicles
When the odometers say it is time to retire the old fleet vehicles and purchase new ones, donate them to a charity that will refurbish cars and provide them as transportation to women and men who cannot afford transportation to work or to help their families get around town. You might keep that old vehicle from becoming scrap while helping a single mom get to work or to take the kids to visit Grandma for the day. You can also save the planet when you purchase new company vehicles by purchasing the most fuel-efficient models for the job.

Computers
If you are planning to replace the old computers in your office, first consider whether modifications to the hard drive or memory will extend the life of the machine.  Give working computers to employees or sell them to employees at a discounted price, or donate them to non-profit organizations to keep them from becoming part of the ever-growing waste stream. Take non-working computers and other electronics to any of the numerous recycling organizations that will dismantle them to salvage all usable parts before they make their way to a landfill.

Cell Phones
The EPA estimates that “For every million cell phones we recycle, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.” That is a significant amount of materials reusable for other purposes.

Your office can donate used cellular telephones that still function to any one of the numerous charities that refurbish them and give them to soldiers, senior citizens and domestic violence victims.

Ink /Toner Cartridges
Even with efforts to limit the number of printed materials in the office, your company probably still empties its fair share of toner and ink cartridges every month. Throwing them into the trash is a bad idea. Between the plastic and the leftover ink and toner inside them, used cartridges are become little ticking time bombs for the environment. Recycle them through your printer/copier company or through your office supply vendor.

Recycled Office Supplies
The next time you order office supplies, ask about recycled products. You will find the recycled paper, pens, and Post-it notes you expect, and some items you might not expect, such as recycled planners or file folder labels.

Clothing Drive
Holding a clothing drive at the office is an easy way to encourage recycling of gently used clothing that still has some life left in it. Many charitable organizations, especially those that help unemployed to find job, love to receive professional attire.

Toilets & Fixtures
Replace older toilets with new, higher efficiency models and donate used toilets and bathroom fixtures to a salvage organization such as Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The improved efficiency will save you money on utilities, while your donation will support a worthy cause.

Most companies want to create a buzz, make an impact on the world with their products and services and make a profit. Reusing and recycling products can save money and benefit the bottom line. Don’t allow your negative impact on our planet lessen the positive impact your company has on this generation or generations to come. As Lady Bird Johnson said, we share the environment “where we all meet,” and therefore, we share responsibility for its care, even when we’re at the office.