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Want a greener way to jot down phone numbers, ideas, to-dos, or just sketch some random doodles? Throw together a neat little notepad from the post-consumer paper in your own recycling bin for an instant green solution, then keep your trash-to-treasure scratch pad on your desk at work.
This project isn't just about saving trees, although you'll probably save a few along the way; it's about saving power and other resources, too. As Bill Nye explains on his TV show Stuff Happens, everything comes from somewhere, and that means it has an ecological impact a bit larger than you might think. Any pad that you buy to keep on your desk, even if it's made in part or full from recycled paper, is the end result of a long manufacturing process that uses water and energy to press, dye, and cut the pulp into the thin, flat, even sheets you know and love. So, it just makes green sense to DIY a recycled scratch pad from used paper around your office.
- Take a trip to your office's recycling station, and have a rummage in the paper bin. Look for any sheets that are only printed on one side. Using different types of paper can make your pad look more awesome, so go ahead and experiment with as much variety of weights, textures, and colors as you can find.
- Once you've got a stack of pages in hand, line them up so that their blank sides are all facing you, and their printed sides are all facing down.
- Grab a ruler and a writing instrument, and draw straight lines on the top sheet that match the size of pad you want.
- Now, cut along the lines, going through the whole stack of paper. (If you can't get your scissors through all of the sheets at once, do as much of them as you can, and then trace around one of the right size pages that you've cut, and use that as a guide for the rest of your stack.)
- Secure the pages with a single staple at the top, and you're done! Grab a cool pen, and use your new scratch pad with pride. You might even want to whip up a couple extras for co-workers, or show everyone in your office how to make their own, to encourage your colleagues to take this easy green step.
Check out the Planet Green Schedule to catch the Office episode of Stuff Happens.
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