Making green decisions creates MORE green

I'm going to share something I feel very strongly about... which is, making green or sustainable decisions is truly the way to increase your net worth. One of the first ways that I've done that myself is to substantially reduce the use of my printer, for business and personal use. I find that when I really need to print something, it isn't for me. It ends up being for someone who is still living in the last century and keeps paper files.

My financial records are digital, along with most of the required updates and filings. My monthly expenses are managed in digital files, with paper receipts scanned or pictures taken as a record. My photos and videos are stored in backup drives, online digital services and with cell service backups. I print contracts for clients, which require signatures, sometimes for paper files. Once in while, I'll print a presentation or a personal letter, but overall, my printing is down to under 10 pages per month.

All of the paper that has been saved along with the printer cartridges I never used, has added up to a substantial savings for my budget as well as much less waste. In addition, I'm not drowning in paper like I once was, or wondering when I'm going to run out of ink. It ends up, I wonder more about my printer paper getting dusty before the next time I use it.

One of the other ways I'm creating a more sustainable world is to create online revenue. I'm not wasting my time and gallons of gas, heading out to job interviews, attending over crowded job fairs, sending out cover letters and resumes that end up in circular files. I'm following the trend to working online in a growing and profitable field.

Internet marketing has been around since the internet went public in the 1990s but making it really work has been a mystery to most people, until now. I was recently introduced to the Empower Network and found it not only creates revenue but provides training, education and networking support to learn the skills of internet marketing.

Getting the most up to date skills in the 21st Century is easy with the Empower Network. The system they created to support their teams is exceptional! They provide a WordPress template website and all the bells and whistles to make it work. The rest is up to me, and YOU if you're up to the challenge.

So, I'm going at this with gusto, and looking for a few determined souls to join me! Check out the video, read a few of my posts, ask questions or comment here. I'll have many more green decisions to come, but creating more green is getting easier every day!

Redesign of my Green Office

Making the best of a difficult situation is always a challenge. Sharing space has always been my personal challenge, as I treasure my privacy. After several years away, obligations have required me to adjust (accept) that I will be living in a testosterone filled environment (two grown sons & semi-employed husband separated from for 3 years) for sometime to come... therefore, I MUST redesign my work space to serve me better. My workspace needs to allow me to serve my clients, create audio and video, and have privacy for the creative process. It also must be green and comfortable!

Finances are tight. My life is no different than so many others right now who are making due with less. Yet creativity is boundless! As a green living enthusiast, I'm eager to find recycled materials to use to create my new space.

So, here's the situation. I have a cinder block building that used to be my work space when I was in college. Since then, it has been filled with clutter, becoming a storage space nightmare. It's holding books, remains of the sale of a family home, household items from my last apartment, old clothes, dead electronics and an album collection spanning a lifetime. Some of the stuff is valuable. Some of the stuff has sentimental value. Some of the stuff is recyclable. Some of it is just plain junk!

First, it needs to be emptied and cleaned. Then, anything of value needs to be organized and stored. After that, I'll begin to move my office equipment in and create a productive space to work. It may take a few days, or a few weeks. I'm determined to get this done & get to work!

Why am I sharing this here? with you, dear readers? To hold me accountable, that's why!!! I'll be posting pictures and sharing progress as I get started on Monday, July 9th. If you have ideas, resources, success tips or any advice along the way, please share in the comments. I'm off to the Farmers Market now, to pick up whatever's fresh and inspiring! Enjoy your weekend ;~)

Letting Go for a Lighter Green Life

There is a new movement for reducing the need for stuff, the need for bigger homes and having it all. I am on a quest to purge the unnecessary from my closet, my file cabinet, my book shelf, and get down to what is really serving me, getting me to the life of my dreams.

Graham Hill recently addressed this in a Ted Talk, opening with the "box" of unknown stuff so many of us have, and carry with us from place to place, never opened, never unpacked but somehow important. Maybe not!

Here are Graham's 3 ideas that changed his life, and may change your's.

1. Edit Ruthlessly - Let it go!

2. Small is Sexy - Nest, stack, digitize.

3. Multifunctional Design - the table expands when needed, the bed folds down from the wall and back up into the wall, and the office disappears.

Watch the video. Look around your room. You can do this. I am doing it right now. I want a lighter load to carry and to live a lighter shade of green.

Simple Steps to a Greener Lifestyle

Green lifestyles are evolving. I learn something new every day that I can incorporate into my green lifestyle. Recently, I've made some serious changes in how I eat, what I eat and who I listen to about my eating. That is how I connected with Blythe Metz. Her YouTube Channel, The WYTV, keeps me informed about healthy changes that can be simple and effective.

Here's my review of Blythe's Top 7 tips on Keeping It Green from Blythe Raw Live TV, January 20, 2012. She's really focused on what will make a difference in creating a green lifestyle!

#7 Pay Your Bills Online - simple, easy and saves time!

#6 Shop at Farmers Markets - local food, supporting local businesses and economies, again >>> simple!

#5 Stop Using Disposable Bags - we all have some reusable bags, take them with you!

#4 Use Reusable Water Bottles - most tap water is equal in quality or better than bottled water, fill the water bottle at home and save time & money!

#3 Get an Energy Efficient Appliance - from computers to dishwashers to water heaters, there are green options that make a huge impact on energy use.

#2 Plant a Garden - Blythe recommends connecting with My Edible Gardens & I'll also recommend asking for advice in your area while you're shopping at the Farmers Market ;~)

#1 Get an E-Reader - Kindle, IPad, Nook, so many choices to make life more green while ridding your life of stacks of glossy magazines that can't be recycled...

Do you have any other tips to share? Add them in the comments below!

Here's the entire scoop from Blythe... suggest while you're watching, subscribe to her YouTube Channel!

Time conservation is very green

There's no time like the present, as it goes, so I've taken today to do some life inventory work. I've considered how I spend my time each day, where I direct my focus, and how it's impacting my results.

Time is our most precious resource. We can't recapture it once it's gone. We can't make more of it. Once each minute passes, it is gone forever. Looking at time from a green perspective, it is even more important that decisions and processes be simple, be seamless, and make a measurable difference.

One organization that provides guidance in this area is Do Your Part. I visit their website when I have a question, when I want to learn to do something better, and when I have a client who has a question that I can't answer. The wealth of resources the Do Your Part team provides have made better use of my time.

Taking this idea to another level, check out the TEDx talk by Global Cool executive director, Caroline Fiennes. She poises some interesting questions for us all to consider. 

2012 Changes & New Dreams

Over the next few weeks, I'll be completely reconstructing my online and offline businesses. It's time to do a little, really a LOT, of spring cleaning early. This space will be focused on sharing some of the best news about sustainable and green business, how it is working in the real world, and how readers can apply more sustainable practices to their own lives.

For now, consider this a head's up! This will be a very big week with both the #OccupyCongress action in Washington, DC on Tuesday, January 17th as well as the online #SOPA protests across the internet on Wednesday, January 18th. The issues facing the economies of the world are difficult and far reaching. Accountability and transparency are essential. The availability of the internet to share information as well as develop new relationships and initiatives is the way we move forward and find solutions.

Here's a brief video from NewDream.org about some of this and something I truly believe will make a difference. If you know me, then you know, I want to make a difference. Happy to hear your feedback in the comments ;~)

Check my recent EcoBold Guest Post

just wanted to share recent guest post on EcoBold!

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