Create A Healthy Home Office

Image Gallery Natural light, houseplants and a cup of fair trade, organic coffee make working from home easy on you and the environment.

More than 20 million Americans work from home a couple of days a week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means added energy use from lights and office equipment and extra paper consumption from sticky notes, calendars and to-do lists.

But it doesn’t have to. Greening the home office is easy with a few simple steps. If you’re looking to give your workspace an eco-makeover, these tips can help create an inviting, calming office that balances professional and environmental needs.

1. Phase out paper.
We can’t make bills disappear, but we can make paper bills disappear. Sign up for e-billing with credit and utility companies, and create a spreadsheet to keep track of bills. Also register for online banking to eliminate paper statements.

If you’re addicted to your e-mail or Blackberry, filing your bills through e-mail may be a good solution. Many e-mail providers offer labeling systems for important documents. Google’s Gmail offers a color-coded labeling system that makes it easy to organize monthly e-bills. If you prefer a more traditional method, pick up an eco-friendly wipe-off board to keep track of bills. Acco Brands makes a Cradle-to-Cradle-certified dry-erase board, available at office supply stores for about $20.

Finally, if old files are taking up precious space, recycle them or shred them to use as packing material. Some recycling centers do not accept shredded paper.

2. Perfect your printing.
Keep printing to a minimum. When it’s unavoidable, decrease margin sizes and use both sides of the paper. Salvage sheets with errors for scrap paper. Many suppliers carry 100 percent recycled, Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. Wood alternatives such as hemp or organic cotton papers are also available.

The ink that goes on those pages can be cleaned up, too. Refill used cartridges instead of buying new (saving money and packaging), and print in black-and-white draft mode, which uses less ink per page. Though not widely available for home use, soy ink is more eco-friendly than conventional petroleum-based ink. Print Recovery Concepts carries SoyPrint laser printer cartridges. For more information, visit www.soyprint.net.

3. See the light.
Studies show that sunlight has a calming, clarifying effect on mood and concentration. People who work in daylight experience an increase in general well-being and productivity, according to a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a facility of the U.S Department of Energy in Golden, Colorado. The evidence is so compelling that many European companies require all employees’ work stations be within 27 feet of a window. Set up your workstation adjacent to windows to avoid glare. To further enhance the pleasant atmosphere, keep flowers or other plants near the window.