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What's a worker with an eco-conscious to do when each day you look over your computer or desk, and notice the wastebasket of your office mate fill up with crumpled paper, junk mail, faxes, post-its, newspapers and plastic water bottles?
The holidays are the perfect occasion (excuse) to deploy an eco-agenda on the workspace. Giving an eco-conscious DIY gift to a co-worker that adds to the maintenance of your office and gives a green nod to the planet, makes for a mighty satisfying gift.
WATCH VIDEO: The Singing Office
Curb Office Waste
Here are 15 reasons why most offices need to recycle, reuse and rethink their paper useage.
1. A typical business office produces about 1.5 pounds of paper waste per employee each day.
2. If you were to eliminate office paper from your waste stream you can cut your waste bill by 50 percent or more.
3. For every ton of recycled paper, 17 trees could be saved.
4. The paper industry ranks 4th in contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes 9 percent of the manufacturing sector's carbon emissions
5. If the U.S could cut office paper use by just 10 percent it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases (the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road).
6. One year's worth of the New York Times newspaper weighs 520 pounds.
7. To print a Sunday edition of the New York Times it takes 75,000 trees.
8. With all the office paper we waste every year, we could build a 12-foot high wall of paper from New York to California.
9. The average American attorney uses one ton of paper every year.
10. Recycling one ton of paper saves 682.5 gallons of oil.
11. American consumers receive 41 pounds of junk mail per year.
12. US Offices create 12.1 trillion sheets of paper per year.
13. 40 percent of the solid mass in landfills is paper and paperboard waste.
14. More than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail
15. Paper usage is rising by around 20 percent every year, with the average office worker using approximately 50 sheets of paper every day in the typical office.
DIY Eco Botanical Calendars
Not everyone uses the calendar on their phone. Many offices workers use a number-a-day type office calendar. These calendars throw out 365 sheets of paper a year, continuing the cycle of paper waste.
Create a unique and natural gift that supports the environment and fosters an eco-friendly office.
Give an EcoBotonical Calendar and ring in a sustainable new year. Print 12 plantable pages made from 100% post-consumer waste and soy or veg-based inks. When the month passes, your office worker can plant the seed infused page outside their window and enjoy wildflowers instead of a mountain of landfill waste.
More on greening the office:
How to Go Green: At Work
How To Go Green: Work From Home
Eco-Friendly Office
How To Green Your Telecommute
DIY Pocket-Sized Notebooks go Anywhere
