Did You Get the Memo that Green is the New Black? by Aaron Gessner

So/Ho’s (Small Offices/Home Offices) can tap into the “Green Movement” by following some of these tips.

1) Stop creating “e-waste”! Over 350 million ink cartridges are dumped into landfills per year in America. Get your ink cartridges refilled at a refill cartridge store like Cartridge World; the price is about half of a new one and consumer reports show that the quality is just as good or better.

2) I know you may think the new LED (Light-emitting diodes) light bulbs are too expensive, don’t last as long and make your skin look icky, but they could reduce national energy consumption by 29 percent by 2025 for a total savings of $125 billion, according to the Department of Energy. Also, the more consumers buy them the faster the quality will go up and the prices come down. Or, if you decide to replace your regular incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent light bulb, you can save up to $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if every U.S. household replaced just one regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, the equivalent of taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

3) Avoid business trips. Invest in videoconferencing software or products such as Proximity to get face to face with your clients without dragging your “carbon footprint” all over the world. The initial invest may seem costly but over time you will save money by avoiding costly travel, hotel and restaurant costs from business trips. Calculate your “carbon footprint” and the amount you can save by cutting down your business travel at http://www.mycarbonfootprint.eu/carboncalculator_about_en.asp. The results will astonish you!

4) “Common Cents say, tune in or turn off.” Why does your television need to be on in the other room if no one is there to watch it? Save money and conserve energy by turning off electronic equipment when you are finished using it.

5) All work and no play make Johnnie very cranky. With all the money you’ve saved from these tips, and the reassurance you have from doing your part to save the environment, go walk down to the local ice cream parlor and treat yourself to a cone.

Sources:

http://www.proximity.com/home.asp

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june05/led_6-13.html

http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/light_bulbs.htm

http://www.mycarbonfootprint.eu/carboncalculator_about_en.asp

http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/004706.html

http://www.trustedreviews.com/printers/review/2007/04/21/The-Inkjet-Investigation/p1

Aaron Gessner is a freelance writer based out of Chicago, Illinois

We are all familiar with Meals on Wheels, a great service that provides prepared meals to seniors and people in need all around the county. There’s another demographic that often doesn’t cook for themselves, and that is YPWs. You may have good intentions, but a full day at work coupled with a lack of planning often leads you to the takeout menu drawer in the kitchen. So what are other dine-in options for young professionals on the go?

1. Full service meal delivery
   1. These people make it and deliver, so all you worry about is setting the oven.

i. http://www.anniesedibles.com/

ii. http://www.wallysfoodco.com/cart/top.php

1. Full service meal preparation
   1. These people make it, either in an industrial kitchen or your own home, and you can pick up or simply open the fridge for a delectable dinner. Sometimes they will also go shopping for you, selecting the best ingredients for a fresh, healthy meal.

i. http://www.bigcitychefs.com/index.htm

ii. http://www.thyme-works.com/meal-service.html

1. They prep, you cook
   1. They slice the onions, season the chicken and pre-measure all of the ingredients. You simply bring it home and cook by number. A quick and easy way to have a homemade meal everyday.

i. http://www.slicedtomatoes.ca/

ii. http://www.souskitchen.com/catalog/index.php

1. They plan, you prep, you cook
   1. These are services to help you get organized. They tell you what meals to cook during the week, and they provide you with a grocery list to go shopping. For those with the gift of time, but not the gift of planning.

i. http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1626111-1179919,00.html

Most of the links are for services local to a particular area, but you can easily do a search for services in other regions. Some companies will even ship overnight nationwide. The prices for all of these services vary. Only you can put a price on convenience and eating a healthy (possibly organic) meal with no preservatives. So hopefully you can find something to fit your budget; some services offer to split the meals so you can go in on it with a friend.