We have come a long way since the bell-bottoms and cold war tensions that were prevalent on the first grassroots celebration of Earth Day in 1970. Recycling is a household term now, and the message that we need to care for our planet and manage our resources is everywhere. Celebrations are taking place all over the globe, from races to concerts to festivals and other activities on a very large scale. On a smaller scale, I try to do my part without being too preachy about it. I recycle and I have a compost pile. Our family uses cloth napkins instead of paper ones. We have replaced almost all of our light bulbs for more energy-efficient ones. Easy enough.
In the workplace, there are a number of ways you can use Office Live Workspace to save paper and be greener. We’ve got a great wiki article on that very topic that I hope you’ll check out.
Some aspects of home life have been trickier to modify to a more environmentally savvy approach. Here is a simple way that Office Live Workspace has streamlined my life lately, and saved some trees in the process. My son goes to preschool, and there are many documents and forms that get sent around to the parents each time there is a field trip or a special occasion. I set up a workspace for the parents in the preschool class, with checklists for which documents are needed and the due dates. Saves at least one sheet of paper in each packet. We have created checklists of which family is responsible for bringing things to the little parties, from food to decorations to music. Saves sign-up sheets posted everywhere and passed around, and allows for collaboration and sharing of details all in a single online place. Right now, we are running a benefit auction to raise some money and we have a form to keep track of all the items donated, estimated prices, and contributor names. All in all, while we are not doing something that involves millions of people around the globe, Office Live Workspace is helping us do our little part and every little bit helps.
What about you? Are you using a workspace in creative ways and saving paper? Post a comment here and let us know about it.