Earth Day is here! Maybe it means that you’re going to give a little cash to offset your carbon footprint, or maybe it means you’ll make a point to finally learn about all the things that can go in a compost bin. (We’d love to help you, but it’s different in every county.) Whatever you plan to do, take a second to consider most of your waking hours.

That’s right, it’s probably work!

So why not take some steps to see what you can actually do to make a real difference in your office?

Recycle, even when it’s not extra convenient.

According to the EPA, we go through a staggering amount of paper every year and let’s face it, quite a bit of it probably comes from your office. Chances are you’re busy. Chances are you don’t want a pile of trash on your desk. And if you are more than 1.5 arms’ distance from a recycling bin, chances are more paper goes in the trash than it needs to. That said, one of the best things you could probably do for the earth is to request a recycling bin from your office manager or just buy it yourself.

Flip your paper and set the default.

Sometimes, you just want it printed. We get it. Meeting agendas, creative revisions, layout…sometimes you just want to hold your hard work in your hands. BUT…think about it, how often to do you really need to hand someone a crisp, beautiful piece of paper as part of your job? Probably – not so much.

Most of us are creatures of convenience, so here’s all you need to do. Get a paper tray, and train employees to put unneeded print outs with printed backs in the tray. Then…refill the default tray with said paper and voila – suddenly almost all paper gets used twice. The key to this – is making it the default – it makes it easy on your team!

And we’ll state the obvious. Meet online.

Just today, and just because it’s Earth Day…try it once, even if it’s not with us. (But…you know, we’d love your business.) If you’re not already meeting online, you’re probably missing out on one of the coolest money-saving technologies out there for businesses.

Hopping on a cross-country flight is so carbon-intensive, that it could actually offset a whole YEAR of your green efforts. So besides the money, besides the time, besides the travel headache – give video conferencing a trial in the coming week…just for the sake of Mother Earth.

Hi kids! Just a quick hello to say…Happy Earth Day. Keep loving that planet, web conferencing, composting, recycling, telecommuting and doing what you do to save this big blue ball of cosmic dust.

Happy Earth Day from Halfa Sponge

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Hi fellow Earth enthusiasts!

Do you know what happens this Saturday from 8:30-9:30 PM? No?!?! Halfa Sponge knows!

It’s Earth Hour!

To rip a line right off of the Earth Hour site,

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations.

So easy, right? You just sign up on their website and commit to turning off your lights for 1 hour! Voilà!

What’s more, the Fuze Meeting team is enthusiastically participating – as a company and as individuals! (So, basically what I’m saying is that all the cool kids are doing it.)

In other news. They put together just about the coolest video I have ever seen . I’ve watched it about 6 times flipping that light switch off and on to watch this guy battle the aliens!

Did you sign up for Earth Hour? Let us know!

Ok. By now it’s not news to you that besides its budget-conscious perks (cha CHING), Fuze Meeting also has some obvious benefits for the environment.  For starters, web conferencing allows you skip packing that massive carbon footprint along with your under-3-oz-travel-size-bottle-to-xray-separately.

So –here’s the big announcement!

HARK!

Fuze Meeting is hereby going to be (even more) green conscious! With the help of our new mascot Halfa Sponge, we’re also going to ramp up the sustainability related posts while Halfa leaves the occasional passive aggressive note around the office. So – got a question on being green? Got tips for green-i-ness in the office? (Do you need Halfa to make a note for your office?)

Halfa loves comments.

The big guy around here, Jeff, just dropped some wisdom over at Fast Company’s 30 Second MBA with his take on sustainability.

What’s your point of view?

Jeff Cavins, CEO of Fuze Box on sustainability