10 Simple Ways to Green Your Freelance Business: Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Organizers

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There are numerous organizers that you may choose to use for your freelance business, from binders to pencil holders to letter trays. What you want to use will depend on your tastes and budget, and how environmentally friendly you choose to be in regards to your business.

The first step in greening your freelance business is to reduce the number of items that are purchased new for your business. Do this by:

1. Deciding what you absolutely need in order to organize your freelance business. Do not think about exact organizers, but consider what will need to be organized.

2. Not purchasing anything new until you see what can be found used.

Step two in greening your freelance business is to reuse items. There are a number of ways in which this step is accomplished in regards to organizers, including:

1. Going through your home and re-purposing items that are no longer needed. Use these items as organizers for your business. These items may include baskets, as well as a silverware tray for the desk drawer.

2. Ask friends and family if they have items that you may use as organizers for your business. They may provide you with a plastic drawer unit, or even a file cabinet, that they are looking to get rid of.

3. Shop yard sales for items such as a small trash can, a pencil holder and file boxes.

4. Shop thrift and consignment shops for items to organize your business as well. You may come across hanging file baskets and storage containers that will be useful.

5. Often, during the spring months, towns allow residents to place unwanted items by the road for others to take. Look for organizers, especially the big ticket items such as a hutch for your desk or file cabinets.

Recycling is the last step in greening your business, because it is the most energy intensive. When you are finished with the organizers that you have been using, or when you realize that something just isn’t working for your organizational efforts, then it is time to recycle. To do this:

1. See if anyone you know may be able to use the item.

2. Donate it to a thrift shop such as Crossroads Ministries or Goodwill.

3. Offer the item on Freecycle.org.

For more information about running your business in a more environmentally appropriate manner, check out the eBook Greening Your Freelance Business.

Shannon L. Buck

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