Green Business Tip - Go Paperless

Here's a common claim in offices these days: "We're green, we recycle all of our paper, print-outs, old files, etc." I'd offer this added challenge to anyone wanting to go greener: Instead of recycling everything and pretending to be green, just stop printing everything and really go green in your office.So you may be thinking, "But I need to print things out. I have to print reports, emails, designs, invoices, estimates..." Do you? Really?Most often, printing things out is a company policy, although sometimes it is done just out of a desire to have a physical copy of something. If it is your company policy to print things out and file things in paper folders in filing cabinets (which by the way costs you a small fortune in wasted office space), I would suggest talking to your supervisor about transitioning to a paperless system. Eliminate the need for paper redundancy and set up a proper system for accessing and backing up documents via networked servers. Dump those space-wasting file cabinets and get in the habit of only keeping digital copies of documents and files.Stop using CDs, DVDs, and other physical media to send and store files. Physical discs are worthless as a backup medium since they degrade over time and can become unreadable in as little as 3 years. There are a wealth of file storage and transfer options available, such as YouSendIt and MobileMe, that can be used to quickly send large files. For backup purposes, talk to your IT folks about a proper file storage system that includes a redundant array of independent disks (RAID).If it seems impossible to go completely paperless, consider just how paperless you already could be and that you may actually be taking extra steps right now to not be paperless. Those documents you just printed out to file away, they were already digital. That sketch a customer just emailed to you and you printed out to show to a coworker, it was already scanned and emailed, meaning you could have just forwarded that email to your coworker instead. And that disc you just mailed to a client, not only did it cost the company money to purchase and mail the disc, your client won't get it until tomorrow. You could have used YouSendIt for free (or for a small monthly fee for greater capabilities) to get that large file to your client in just a few minutes.