Save the environment by going paperless

Corporations have embraced ISO standards that dictate a paperless environment in the office. This lessens the use of electricity to print, ink cartridges to refill, and most important of them all is to minimize if not to totally eliminate the use of paper. We all know that paper comes from the papyrus trees.

How about at home? Are you in a habit of keeping those paper utility bills just in case a dispute happens?  Does your drawer contain folders of manuals, receipts, handouts, newsletters, etc. for reference later on? Do you sometimes forget to pay your bills because your monthly statement was late or worse, did not arrive? How many magazines and newspapers are stacked on your desk waiting for you to read them?  Do you constantly print or photocopy materials when you can easily view them from your computer?

Just recently we had a general cleaning at home and noticed that we had tons of boxes filled with documents such as training materials from 10 and even 20 years ago. Magazines that have discolored and crumpled in time. It took up quite a lot of space and even weight and gathered a lot of dust between the pages.

If you are like a lot of people, chances are you are guilty of paper crime which not only causes clutter in your home or workplace but also inflict damage to the environment.  When mature trees are cut to produce paper, we also take the risk of inhaling unhealthy air or reducing our water supply.  Trees filter out pollution, protect sources of fresh water, and fill the earth with oxygen.  On the other side, when factories process paper, they also produce pollutants.

Here are five ways to help you reduce clutter and eliminate those paper mess, protect the environment, and also save time (you seriously don’t want to go through mounds of paper just to find a single document or do you?).

 

 

  1. Scan documents and receipts

If you can’t throw away documents or receipts, try scanning them or taking a picture with your digital camera or smartphone.  You can then save them in organized digital folders on your mobile phone, personal computer, or hard drive.  Have a backup in the cloud too for added security and safety.

  1. Switch from paper to digital subscriptions

Evaluate your subscriptions.  If magazines and newspapers are only gathering dust on your table, perhaps you better switch to their digital version and read them on the go.

  1. Don’t be trigger happy

Think twice before hitting the print button.  Keep printing and copying to a minimum and only when absolutely necessary.

  1. Go shopping with an ecobag

We often accumulate lots of paper bags when we go shopping or when buying food for takeout and those add up to incoming paper which end up in the trash.  An ecobag could be the answer to this concern so bring one whenever you leave the house.

  1. Sign up to paperless billing

Instead of waiting for your monthly bill to reach your mailbox, why not sign up to electronic billing.  You can easily view them anytime and anywhere via email and you won’t be complaining of late bills anymore.  Globe Telecom, for instance, advocates paperless billing as part of its sustainability practice.  Postpaid customers who want to join the campaign may text PAPERLESS<space>account number<space>e-mail address to 26826, dial *143# on their mobile phones and follow the instructions, visit the GoGreen page athttps://www.globe.com.ph/gogreen or Globe MyAccount, drop by at any Globe Store, or call the Customer Service Hotline (211 toll free from their mobile phone or 02-7301000 from any landline).  More details at www.globe.com.ph/postpaid/paperless-billing.

 

Eli

Eli has 28 years of extensive IT sales expertise in Data, voice and network security and integrating them is his masterpiece. Photography and writing is his passion. Growing up as a kid, his father taught him to use the steel bodied Pentax and Hanimex 135mm film and single-direction flash, Polaroid cameras, and before going digital, he used mini DV tape with his Canon videocam. He now shoots with his Canon EOS 30D. Photography and blogging is a powerful mixture for him.
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