Thursday, August 28, 2008

#17 to 21. More ways to save trees


Since I'm on the subject, here are some more ideas on ways to cut down on paper use:

  • Recieve and pay bills online! This was difficult for me at first because I can't flip open the filing cabinet to pull out an old bill. I have to count on cyberspace to keep track of things. But it's quicker and doesn't require postage. This can also apply to documents/applications.

  • Put the paper right back into the printer. Do you ever print mistake pages? Or how about that page that has just the footer printed on the last page? Most stuff I print is just for my own use, so who cares what's on the back? I put it back in the printer so that the back side will be printed on with my next print.

  • Hand write things. A simple recipe, an address, or some other thing that you look up on your computer can be jotted down on a scrap paper (see previous post) instead of being printed out.
  • Use your debit card. No checks to write or pay for, and my bank actually pays me .03 for each transaction.
  • Buy recycled paper. Okay, so this may or may not save money, but it is worth it. I can usually get recycled printer paper on sale at office max- just keep your eyes open and buy when it's a good price and not when you need it because you run out of paper.


To read some statistics on what is required to make paper, go here. Scary, isn't it? So be a tree-hugger, and save yourself some money in the process. And when you do use paper, make sure it goes into the recycle bin instead of the trash

1 comment:

NW Varneys said...

I didn't know any banks paid for the savings--that;s kind of cool. It was hard for me to just let go and trust the online world, too, but automatic is so much easier besides being paper-free.

All of your tips are great--we do a lot of them, but you've given me a few new ideas--like buying recycled paper.

One thing that blows my mind is when people have recycling programs in their cities and have the recycling bins and pick-up at no added cost, and still don't recycle! Can you explain this to me?