Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1888PressRelease)
October 30, 2007 - Virtual Assistance is a highly digitized industry that does not require commuting to and from a workplace, in-person meetings or doing "lunch". In a usual Virtual Assistant practice, it is not necessary to meet with clients in person. All communication can be done quite efficiently online or via telephone! Using email programs and online software whenever possible, to include cards & letters, is quite common practice. By utilizing these communication methods, the industry of Virtual Assistance is already contributing toward a greener environment. As we strive toward greener pastures, Virtually Ready would like to reflect on what additional steps we can take to improve our efforts, if we haven't already, and provide a few tips on how you can too!
Using recycled paper products (including notebooks, printer paper, mailing products), pens & pencils, recycled printer ink cartridges, then recycling again is a great way to go green. Many office stores and drug stores accept your recycled cartridges and some will provide a credit or incentive toward another purchase. Don't print when it's not necessary. Always double-check your documents for errors prior to printing, but if they should slip by, you can use the mistake paper for writing notes. Copy & Print double-sided whenever you can.
How about using online faxing as opposed to print? Try voicemail combined with email communication to cut down on paper messages. Try digital filing options instead of bulky paper files (with back-up, of course)!
Always remember to turn off all of your office lights whenever you leave your office. Try using energy-efficient light bulbs for even greater savings!
Purchase and utilize energy-efficient office machines. Remembering to shut down your equipment when it's not being used. Pulling the plug entirely can result in increased savings. Use the power-save features when "temporarily" inactive can help as well. If you need to upgrade your computer system, many of the major manufacturers now provide a recycling, "take back" or charitable donation program. Check with your manufacturer's web site. Not everyone is aware of the options available, so here are a few sources that Virtually Ready found for you:
* Apple
- Recycling, Trade-In & Tack Back, Batteries
* Hewlett Packard / Compaq
- Recycling, Trade-in program & Charity Donations, Batteries
* Dell - (Small Business/Personal) - Dell (Large Business/Corporate)
- Trade-in program / Charity Donations
* Toshiba
- Trade-In & Recycling Program
* IBM
- Recycling & Asset Recovery
* Gateway
- Recycling & Trade-in program
When we work together, we can make even more of a difference!
Do you have additional business or office-related "Going Green" tips that you'd like to share? If so, this article is being featured on the "Solutions" page of the Virtually Ready web site. Feel free to submit your ideas via email and we would be happy to share your contributions along with your web link on our site!
###
