Easy steps to become more sustainable

There are lots of tips out there on conserving resources and becoming more eco-friendly, some of them easier to implement than others. As we evolve our habits into more eco-friendly ones, we’d like to share the things that worked for us. Our hope is that you can find one or two things on this list that you can implement in your home or office.

• As traditional lightbulbs burn out, replace them with Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs. Each CFL can last up to five years, saving you up to $40 per bulb over it's lifetime in energy savings and replacement costs.

• Every piece of paper that comes into our office gets either reused or recycled, be it a sales letter, leftover handouts from a meeting, or paper we've only printed on one side. We've designated a tray in our most efficient printer to be used only for re-usable paper. We stock the tray with paper that has one side printed and one side blank and use it for documents we need internally or have to file. No one sees them but us, so it doesn't matter what's on the other side.

• Make a conscious effort to turn off lights when you leave a room, and unplug appliances after you're done using them. We've been practicing this tip for about six months now, and have definitely noticed the savings on our electricity bill, even during the most expensive electricity months of the year. We also work in the lower level of our building, which is naturally cooler, so we can set the thermostat higher in the summer and use a fan to keep the office cool.

• Bag the bags! We've drawn the line at bringing new plastic shopping bags into our office and homes. We absolutely use reusable shopping bags whenever we make a purchase. This habit does take some getting used to, but keeping the bags in the car, or not taking a plastic bag when you just have a few items are some tips to get you started. If you carry a larger purse or bag, you don't even need a separate bag - just throw the items you've just purchased into your purse!