Ideal Bite

the toughest part of paperless for me is reading long reports, studies and other research electronically. there's just something softer on the eyes with paper versus a computer screen. plus i love to draw, circle, underline, fold, tear apart any books or other stuff i read (helps me "digest" the stuff i guess)... that said, i'm definitely personally paperless, and still tackling how to cut down on what paper people send me. these help: ** tablet pc with a scanner to transform anything paper into an e-version to resist making random copies for the weekend, or to regular mail to others... ** business cards with only my email and phone number...no address... ** computer faxing when possible... it's a discipline thing, especially with me being a member of AA (Attorneys Anonymous -- i traded practicing law for sustainability consulting)...out of any field, my previous career (which lasted all of one year before i decided i'd rather dig holes in african villages for water than draft another trust document or create another LLC), lawyers live on paper. it's definitely doable...it's just a mental discipline thing!

Great newsletter on recycled copy paper. Office Depot sells "enviroCopy" which is recycled copy paper. We get ours FREE when we return used printer cartridges! Purchased each ream is around $4.00 or $35.00 for a box!

I can relate to lugging the office-place recycling home. I work in TV production and we create so much excess papewaste. (Not to mention diet coke cans, poland springs bottles and those paper coffee cup trays.) The office building doesn't offer recycling and my earth-guilt won't allow me to just leave it in the trash. My boss used laugh at me when I would fish through his garbage can, but now he brings his empties to my desk. The trunk of my car is usually full of recycling.

Instead of using post-its, scratch paper, and note pads for daily note taking, I use a 8 1/2" x 11" dry erase board - in turn conserving a ton of paper. my "recycling" paper pile has been drastically reduced.

I love IdealBite! Thanks for posting this tip regarding paper use. I posted a link to it on the blog of the Environmental Paper Network called The Paper Planet (http://thepaperplanet.blogspot.com). Lots of good info in your tip that should be easy for folks to make part of their office life. Including a link to Conservatree's guide was excellent. I had a couple suggestions on a few things though. 1. Recycled paper at Staples, Office Max, (and Office Depot, not listed though they have a whole "Green Products Catalog") is not quite as expensive as listed, especially if you can only afford the 30% recycled which is sold at the same price as totally virgin. 2. Printing for Less is a good company with good environmental initiatives (a green office building, etc), but it is less than "ideal" for buying recycled paper. The word can not even be found on its website. You have to call and speak to a rep and make a special request for recycled. If you do choose them, please make sure you specifically request recycled paper and ask them to make it a choice on their website in the future. 3. Great one stop shopping online for green office supplies can be found at http://www.recycledproducts.org and at http://www.thegreenoffice.com. Thanks again for all the great tips Jen.

I feel ya on the trunk full o' recycling comment...My boss used to get tired of me piling up the shredding, and then I would stuff my car to the brim and go two cities over where they had a dumpster for paper. Now, we hire a company to do the shredding & recycling for us!! Persistance pays off! The company is called "Shred-It", and I'm sure there are many more. Maybe you could post a tip to get everyone to slip a little hint to their boss! (I did!)

I am also a take home recycler. Our company is "suppose" to recycle, but since most employees choose to toss garbage in paper recycling bins, the cleaning company refuses to dig through each bin to sort(I don't blame them). I subscribe to "Ready Made" & they have lots of tips on re-using. They suggest covering the printed side of a business card w/ scrap paper, fold & use as a gift card.

I use a white board constantly and my employees know to add 'to do' tasks on it when I am no around. May not save on a lot of paper but I no longer use yellow stickies

Working for a nonprofit, they don't provide plastic forks, spoons, knives, paper cups and plates. People all have their own cup, and we have donated silverware, which people wash when they are through.

Hey! I've been a silent biter for a bit and just came across your comments on recycled paper, where you commented on not giving up toilty paper, so I'm thinking to myself that I'd suggest a green TP option I've been using for a while... the brand is Seventh Generation, and there's also other products, from detergent to paper towels, all green enough to make me smile, and affordable enough to be allowed into my college student budget. Also, very off topic, is this new restaurant in my home town of Boulder, Colorado called VG's. The concept is a zero footprint fast food vegan place, and they really do a fantasitc job at it, the cups, forks, paper, and ect, are all biodegradable, and are composted by the company. All the burgers are vegan and the fries are organic and baked, not fried. The soda is srom a place that uses only agave nectar to sweeten their drinks and everything from the burgers to the sodas to the special Jalapeno sauce is all organic and made in a way that's beneficial for the environment. And the best part is, the restaurant itself is powered entirely by wind energy. It's pretty much one of the most incredible restaurant concepts I've seen, not to mention it tates wonderful and is incredibly quick for being so great tasting. They've been considering franchising, so perhaps you could look them up and see if they couldn't get one in your little corner of the country, seing as they're such a new business, I'm sure every word of encouragement will help! Thanks, guys! ~Errol