I don't want to think about it… but we have to…

Today is Blog Action Day.  Today, thousands of bloggers from all over the world will write on a topic — and hopefully all of our voices added together will make a difference.  I love the idea and I have participated for the past three years.  This year, the topic is global climate change — and it is tough for me to write about.   Climate change seems so big and so inevitable — and so hard to do anything concrete and permanent to combat.   As a virtual assistant, I work in the fast moving online world — combating climate change is all about moving more slowly, thinking long range — doing what we can now to save the world for our children and grandchildren.  It is hard to get your head around.

It makes me a little angry that we've wasted so much time not putting our best thinkers and scientists to work coming up with a solution. It seems like money is always a consideration before environmental impact.  What were we doing during the 80's and 90's - we could be so much farther along right now. The good news is that there is still time and everyone can do *something* and all of those things added to some serious national and global effort can make a difference.   So, let's get started.  Here are some ways to conserve in your home office:

• Go paperless - do you really need to print out that e-mail?
• Unplug all the tech when you are done for the day.  Even having the plug in the wall sucks out energy.  It also will make it easier to stay out of our office when you are done working for the day.
• Buy recycled.  Actually, most office paper is recycled these days — but spending time to find recycled furniture and other office supplies can really pay off.  Plus, the greater the demand, the more likely manufacturers will invest in making more recycled products.
• Recycle all batteries, cell phones and electronics.  Best buy and other stores have bins and most cities will let you recycle these things for free.  Lithium batteries and old computer screens (the big ones) are really bad for the environment - recycling is a much better alternative. Old cell phones can be reprogrammed and given to abuse victims for emergency use.
• Batch your errands and car pool.  I used to think I was saving energy by working from home — but then my daughter ended up going to a school 20 miles from home.  I try to at least do all my errands on the way from school so I'm driving less.
• Do you really need to drive?  In most major cities, walking or biking is faster for trips of less than a mile or two.