Tips for Reducing Paper Use

• Always try to use both sides of a sheet of paper for printing, copying, writing and drawing.
• Reuse paper that's already printed on one side by manually feeding it into copiers and printers.  Use it for internal documents like drafts and meeting agendas.
• Email can be used to share documents and ideas; only print the emails that you need a hard copy of.  Do the same for Web documents as well.    Instead of printing a web page, bookmark it or save the page on your hard drive and pull it up when needed.
• Use two-way or send-and-return envelopes.  Your outgoing envelope gets reused for its return trip. 
• Use reusable inter- and intra-office envelopes.
• Reuse old paper for notepads.  It can be cut to custom sizes and bound with a staple, or a printing business can bind them into actual pads. 

Purchasing Green for Your Office:

Here are some purchasing ideas to help make the workplace more environmentally friendly.

• Refurbish and buy refurbished office equipment.
• Reuse and refill toner cartridges and ribbons.
• Purchase nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners that contain low- or non-volatile organic compounds.
• Buy concentrates.
• Buy in bulk.
• Buy products that are reusable, returnable or refillable.
• Buy office products that contain post-consumer recycled material.
• Use flexible interior features, such as movable walls, to reduce waste associated with renovation.
• Choose durable materials and furnishing to reduce the costs and waste associated with replacement.