10 Eco-Friendly, Money-Saving Tips for Freelance Writers and Working from Home

Freelance writers or anyone working from home in a home office can save energy, save money and reduce their impact on the environment with these simple, eco-friendly tips that go beyond buying recycled paper and turning off computers and other electronics at night.

While there are many more ways to save energy and create an eco-friendly home office than what is listed here, these 10 eco-friendly tips for writers and people who work at home are an easy way to get started down the path of going green in your home office.

10 Tips for Creating an Eco-Friendly Home Office

Use a desk lamp with a compact fluorescent light bulb. CFLs use much less energy than traditional light bulbs and desk lamps require a lower wattage than lighting an entire room.

Turn off your computer monitor when you leave the room.

Use the hibernate or standby function on your computer when you will be away from your desk for more than a few minutes. You may not want to turn your computer off every time you leave the room for a phone call or to grab coffee or food, but using standby mode will save energy while you are away and your documents will still be open and waiting for you when you return.

If you are still using an older CRT computer monitor, switch to a flat screen monitor. Purchasing a gently used flat screen monitor is a great money-saving option that limits consumption by not increasing the demand for new monitors.

Save energy (and money) by turning off your computer, monitor, printer and other electronics when you finish writing for the day. To save even more energy, plug all of your office electronics into power strips that can be switched off at night. Even when turned off, appliances and electronics continue to use energy, which increases your overall energy consumption and your energy bill.

If coffee is your constant companion as you write late into the night, purchase a reusable coffee filter. Using a refillable coffee filter will reduce waste and save money over time. You can also compost your coffee grounds to create a rich mulch that your garden or houseplants will love.

Use refillable ink cartridges for your computer. While freelance writers can now function with a primarily paperless office, there are still some things we need to print out. By using refillable ink cartridges and recycling old non-refillable cartridges, we can limit the waste we create from using a printer in our home office.

Use eco-friendly pens and pencils. Pencils made from recycled wood and refillable pens made from recycled materials are readily available. If you are pinching pennies, another option is to purchase pens and pencils in lots at auctions or thrift stores.

Save energy by using a manual pencil sharpener instead of an electronic sharpener.

For small stacks of paper, use a manual staple-free stapler. Staple-free staplers make a small hole and buckle-like connection that works just as well as a regular staple when you only have a few pages to combine.

Sources:

Personal Experience