Tip: Recycle toner cartridges for a more environmentally friendly office.

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More than 350 million empty toner cartridges end up in landfills ever year. That’s enough to circle the earth three times! They also take forever to decompose — 450 years for laser toner cartridges, and some of the industial plastic components will take a thousand years to break down.  Plus, it takes a gallon of oil to produce one toner cartridge.  Looking for an easy way to go green in your office? Recycle toner cartridges, don’t just throw them away.

Most toner manufacturers make it super easy to take this environmentally-friendly step. Just drop your empty cartridges in the mail. Most brands will send you a postage-paid box, so it won’t cost you a thing. Check out the Toner Recycling guide at OnTimeSupplies.com to find out how to recycle toner cartridges from HP, Epson, Lexmark & other top brands.

Energy efficient space heaters: how to choose the most efficient space heater.

It’s cold outside and inside. In these tough economic times, you don’t want to crank up the thermostat and risk a high utility bill, so invest in one of the energy efficient space heaters for sale at OnTimeSupplies.com. The site’s Knowledge Base features a great article breaking down the best type of space heater for a variety of work areas. Office Ink will show you what to look for in an energy efficient space heater for your home.

Use radiant space heaters and panel heaters for spot heating.

Radiant space heaters and panel heaters are the most energy efficient space heater option: they require about a tenth of the energy as traditional convection space heaters. However, they are not  designed to heat a whole room. These energy saving space heaters work best as spot heaters. For example, a radiant panel space heater will work great under your home computer desk to keep you feet warm. They won’t do so well heating your home office.

Use ceramic heaters to efficiently heat an entire room.

Oscillating tower style ceramic heaters are the most energy efficient space heaters when it comes to heating a room, though a standard box style ceramic heater works well too. In addition to a ceramic heating element, your energy saving space heater should have a thermostat and allow for automatic temperature control. Without these features, you’ll have to constantly monitor your electric space heater to keep it from  wasting electricity, and overheating the room. Energy efficient space heaters also feature automatic shut off so they aren’t running when they aren’t needed.

With an energy efficient space heater and a comfy sweater, you’ll stay warm all winter without seeing your electricity bill go through the roof.

Go Green with Eco-Friendly Shipping and Address Labels

Environmentally Friendly Avery Shipping and Mailing Labels at On Time Supplies

Going green is all about making informed choices. You probably don’t think much about your office’s shipping and address labels until you run out. While there’s nothing really wrong with just grabbing the cheapest labels you find, you can go green and save money if you put a little thought into your purchase. On Time Supplies offers a variety of discount Avery labels that up the green quotient of any office! Avery starts with the packaging. All Avery shipping and address labels are packaged in recyclable boxes to help you reduce waste in your office. Furthermore, some Avery labels offer even more eco-friendly innovations.

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How to Choose the Best Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning Products

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With all the environmentally friendly cleaning products available today, it can be hard to choose the best supplies. Office Ink helps you wade through the marketing to find the best green cleaning supplies.

Green Seal Certified Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning Products

Green Seal evaluates the entire manufacturing process, not just the end product. The organization even visits manufacturing plants, so you can be sure that you are getting a truly ethical product.

EPA Design for the Environment Certified Cleaning Products

The EPA’s DfE Seal is also a reliable method of determining a products eco-friendliness. Like Green Seal, the EPA evaluates the entire manufacturing process and the end product. You can trust that cleaning supplies bearing the DfE label are safe, effective and environmentally friendly.

VOC Certified Cleaning Products

You’ll also want to look for VOC certified products when you shop for environmentally-friendly cleaning products. VOCs are volatile organic compounds, harmful chemical gasses released by many common cleaners. VOC certified products don’t contain harmful air pollutants.

Check out the earth-friendly cleaning products at OnTimeSupplies.com today.

Free Reusable Steel Water Bottle from Zebra Eco!

It’s never been easier for businesses and consumers to go green. Most of us understand the importance of using sustainable, eco-friendly products whenever possible. Still, it’s always nice to get a little reward for doing the right thing.

Zebra is offering just such an award for using eco-friendly office supplies. For the next two weeks, Zebra will give away a free steel water bottle when you purchase $20 worth of products from their Zebra Eco lineup. Consider it a little thanks from the folks at Zebra on behalf of the planet. Steel water bottles reduce plastic waste and are far more sanitary than just refilling a plastic water bottle. They also save money, but I can’t be the only one who balks at the thought of paying around 10 bucks for an empty bottle. The Zebra giveaway is tailor made for cheapskates like me! Plus, with the Zebra pattern, they’re pretty cute too. As Liz Taylor will tell you – animal prints never go out of style!

The Zebra Eco line includes quality pens, pencils and highlighters made from recycled materials. Your twenty dollars goes much farther at OnTimeSupplies.com than any other online office supplies retailer. On Time Supplies offers great discounts of Zebra Eco supplies. Qualifying purchases include:

  • ZebraEco Sarasa Retractable Roller Ball Pens
  • Zebra Eco Pink Ribbon Retractable Ballpoint Pens
  • Zebra Eco Retractable 3-Color Ballpoint Pens
  • Zebra Eco Jimnie Mechanical Pencils
  • Zebra Eco Jimnie Retractable Ballpoint Pens
  • Zebra Eco Zebrite Double Sided Highlighters

So stock up on great Zebra pens, pencils and highlighters at On Time Supplies, then go and claim your free steel water bottle! June 15th is the last day to get your free reusable water bottle.

This Year’s Super Bowl More Green Than Ever

No office hosts any events as grand as the NFL’s Super Bowl. That’s why it’s so exciting that the organization is boarding the green business express! The NFL has its own Environmental program headed by Jack Groh, who says the organization is adopting a set of policies that will make this year’s big game the greenest in history! A couple of the new NFL green initiatives can be adapted to any workplace.  All the leftover food prepared for the event will be donated to community agencies. The NFL will also donate leftover office supplies, decorations, and building material after the Super Bowl. Consider adopting these policies for your next company banquet, meeting or training event.

Check out the other ways the Super Bowl is going green this year here. Oh, and GO COLTS!

Cleaning tips from Eureka that go easy on your wallet and the environment!

Move over, Heloise. Our friends over at Eureka offer some great tips on re-purposing household items into cleansers and dust busters. Who knows how to clean better than a vacuum manufacturer? Every one’s trying to save a few bucks these days, so it’s nice of Eureka to show us how to tackle household tasks without making a trip to the store. Even better, recycle and reuse are the green manta, so if you follow these tips, you’ll be doing your bit to save the planet!

Eureka compiled this list from its customers, so all the tips and tricks have been tested in homes all across America. My favorite comes from Erin of Makanda, IL. “Hot vinegar has been my cleaning secret. It cleans soap scum, windows, extra dirty/soiled laundry, and even our toilet. One thing to be wary of is vinegar that does not say it is made from grain, because it could be made from petroleum products.”

Back to School with Less Plastic?

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting article from a parent who is concerned about the level of plastics in her daughter’s school supplies. Emily Monosson, the article’s author and a toxicologist who has spent years studying our dependence on plastics, has this to say:

By some estimates, hundreds of millions if not billions of disposable pens are sold in the U.S. each year. Once disposed of or lost, bits of those pens will eventually add to the Earth’s expanding “plastic layer,” a marker of our penchant for the disposable rather than the reusable.

And while it’s true that some of our favorite office supplies are not immediately recyclable, there is hope. Companies like ours are proud to offer tons of recycled office supplies, ranging from hanging file folders and vinyl binders all the way to post-it notes and scrubbing pads. We feel buying recycled products is one of the small steps you can take to help protect the environment, and Monosson agrees:

…What if teachers — originators of “the list” — urged students to seek out recycled, recyclable or plastic-free supplies? At the very least, let’s teach them to slow the growth of the plastic layer.

This tactic, combined with buying sturdy, reliable supplies from a reputable dealer and treating them right, can help keep office supplies on your desk and out of landfills for years to come.

Office Max Touting Delivery Cutbacks as “Green” Initiative

Business Week is reporting that our lovable ol’ pal OfficeMax is in the news once more, this time pretending to care about the environment while simultaneously making everyone’s life harder:

Companies have come up with many reasons for cutbacks in service. Saving money. Reducing the need for layoffs. Boosting efficiency.

But here’s a justification rarely heard: Spinning the cutbacks as a ‘green’ initiative.

That’s what OfficeMax has done. In the Washington, DC, area, it announced to customers that “beginning July 13, 2009, OfficeMax fleet trucks will deliver Tuesday – Friday.” Eliminating the Monday delivery will “Lead to a Positive Environmental Impact!” the announcement trumpets: “By compressing 5 delivery days into 4, OfficeMax will improve the metro environment.”

So here’s the deal: business lose out on Monday delivery. Workers are forced to work 10-hour days to maintain their current hours, and many will suffer cutbacks. On top of all this, the amount of “restructuring” that has to be done to accommodate the new plan will, of course, involve cutbacks to staff and salaries. But hey guys! It’s okay! It’s for the environment!

Just when I think I’ve heard the worst idea OfficeMax has ever had, they come up with something new. Kudos to you for being surprisingly terrible, OMAX.

Editor’s Note: I just found that awesome picture of the guy in the dunce cap. Part of me wants to use it in every post about OfficeMax or Office Depot, though I imagine the thrill will wear off eventually.

Article: Web and Marketing Firm Exists Sans Offices

PR Newswire has a really cool update about Web and Marketing firm Synergema, which is embracing the idea of a “Green” offce by having no office to speak of:

“Working from their homes, our employees aren’t using many of the resources than they would if they were out at an office for the day,” Steiger says. “By not making them come into an office and effectively double the use of the various resources, we’re saving money and also impacting the environment.”

From there, the ripples flow outward. The absence of a central office eliminates the need for trucks to deliver office supplies, which saves fuel. Meetings are conducted via videoconference, reducing the need for airline flights or auto trips to headquarters.

Perhaps the ones who benefit the most, though, are Synergema’s employees, Steiger says. “Our people don’t have to get in cars to come to work, so it’s not necessary for them to be stuck in long traffic tie-ups to get here,” he says.

And since the average American worker spends around 100 hours a year commuting — more than the 80 hours many get for vacation — giving that time back to the employee makes a huge difference. “That keeps them happier, and happier employees are more productive. Because they are driving less, they save money on fuel, insurance and auto maintenance,” Steiger says.

This, to me, is insanely cool. I’ve always loved working from home, and it’s boggled my mind how many companies are resistant to the idea of their employees saving time, money, supplies, and overall angst by being able to do their job in the comfort of their own home. Obviously the approach doesn’t work for everyone, but Synergema seems to have hit on a format that works for them, and I say congratulations.

One of the reasons we’re in the web-based office supply business is because the concept is green all around. We offer quality supplies shipped using existing methods to get them to your door faster. No getting in the car and going to some big-box store, which itself has to be built, maintained, powered, have their waste dealt with…to say nothing of THOSE employees who have to shlep themselves into work every day. If everyone kept an eye to the environment the way some companies are starting to, we’d not only have a happier workforce, but a happier planet as well. Corny, perhaps, but true.