10 Ways to Green Your Home Office

As we've said before, Spring is the perfect time to toss out the old from your home office (responsibly!), and usher in a new era of organized and green living. Even if you don't have a home office, these tips can also be used in the workplace to ensure you're setting a good example for your co-workers, and taking the right steps to a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Let's face it - you probably spend more time at work than you do anywhere else (only your bed may see more action), so why not make it a little easier on mother earth while you're there?

• Go Natural - Bamboo is not only a renewable resource, it's also easy on the eyes and totally tech-friendly. You can buy charging stations, laptops, and even external hard drives made from the material.
• Rent Your Textbooks - Instead of buying those expensive textbooks that are lining your home office walls, rent them through Chegg. Not only will you save a ton of cash, but you'll help prevent books from ending up in a landfill.
• Consider an Earth-Friendly Cell - There's a new trend in cell phones these days, and thankfully it's benefiting mother earth. For example, the LG Remarq is super compact, and totally eco-friendly to boot being made with recycled materials, and without all the harsh chemicals that damage your health and the planet.
• Kill the Power Vampires - Banish the power vampires in your life by unplugging unused gadgets when you're not at home, or snatching up the new AT&T ZERO charger that cuts off the power supply to your cell when it's fully charged. Not only will you save some dough, but you'll cut down on power usage which is always good for the planet.
• Cover Your Laptop in Recycled Sleeves - Who would have thought that this awesome laptop case from Etsy ($64) was made from discarded billboard banners? You can be eco-chic and your laptop will be totally protected, even if you're using recycled materials.
• Recycle Your Cell and Plant a Tree With Starbucks - Starbucks is helping the planet by providing postage-paid envelopes for you to recycle your old and unused cell phones. Bonus - they'll plant a tree for every handset received! If you can't find a participating Starbucks near you, don't worry - there's plenty of other ways to put those old cell phones out to pasture without tossing them in the garbage.
• Properly Recycle Your Ink Cartridges - Please don't toss your empty ink cartridges in the trash! The remaining ink and other chemicals seep into the earth and cause major damage. Here's two easy ways to recycle those cartridges properly.
• Repurpose Household Items For Cord Management - Hey, you don't have to go out and buy a new cable management system to wrangle all those cords behind your desk! Just take a look around your house, and you'll find there's more to reuse than you thought!
• Go Solar! - Whether it's your desk lamp, accent lighting, or cell phone charger, there's lots of ways you can keep your gadgets at full charge, and keep you working through the night with the power of the sun.
• Stop the Endless Flow of Yellow Pages - Whether it's your desk lamp, accent lighting, or cell phone charger, there's lots of ways you can keep your gadgets at full charge, and keep you working through the night with the power of the sun.