Tag Archives: ecofriendly

Nov2

The Pros & Cons Of Still Keeping Paper Documents

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The Pros & Cons Of Still Keeping Paper Documents

We’re constantly surrounded by digital technology in every aspect of our working lives. Most of your job is spent using a computer or another electronic device. You send emails instead of letters and deal with a lot of digital data. And yet, some workplaces still keep paper documents. These can be bills, contracts, or anything else that might be important for your company. Unfortunately, keeping paper documents comes with its fair share of drawbacks and problems. But, you could argue that it also has some advantages. Is it worth maintaining a collection of physical documents in your workplace? Let’s look at the pros and cons:

Pro – A fail safe for lost digital assets:

What happens if a computer breaks down that contains lots of key documents or data? It had a list of clients on there with their addresses and contact details. Or, it contained all of your bills for that quarter. You didn’t back anything up to the cloud, so it’s lost forever. Paper documents provide a fail safe in case of any digital issues. You have copies of important documents that you can now look at and use. This can be so helpful in situations when you’re trying to manage your books but can’t find the digital versions of bills and transactions.

Pro – Some customers/clients prefer physical documents:

Not everyone enjoys getting things digitally. Some of your customers may want actual physical copies of contracts and other key documents. If you only provide them with digital versions, it might lead to some annoyance.

Con – Easier to lose/damage:

The big problem with physical documents is that they are far easier for you to lose or damage. All it takes is some bad weather or an accident to spill water on a box full of documents. Immediately, they’re damaged almost beyond repair. Sure, you can use expert contents restoration services to try and bring them back to life, but it might be too late. Just like that, you’ve lost some truly important data or information that you’re unable to recover. When things are stored digitally or in the cloud, it is almost impossible to damage them. You can keep numerous copies on multiple devices to ensure that, if one copy does get damaged, there are many others to call upon.

Con – Harder to keep track of:

Keeping paper documents is a lot harder than keeping digital ones. You need a document management system that keeps everything neat and tidy at all times. Already, this poses some issues relating to your workspace. Is there physically enough space for you to have multiple filing cabinets to store all of these documents? Then, you have to consider how hard it is to keep track of all the documents. When you need a specific thing, how quickly can you find it among your paper documents? You’ll take a few minutes at the very least – and that’s if you have an awesome system. If things are stored digitally, they can be found in seconds by running a search.

Con – You use lots of paper:

Paper usage should be decreasing as we look to fight for a more sustainable planet. In fact, one of the simplest ways to make a business more sustainable is by becoming paperless. You drastically decrease the demand for the paper industry, meaning fewer trees get cut down and turned into paper. If every business went paperless, we might have a genuinely positive impact on the planet. So, keeping paper documents means you technically increase your carbon footprint by a tad. If you want to use less paper around the office, perhaps you should consider getting rid of paper documents and going digital.

All things considered, paper documents don’t really have that many advantages. It can be handy to keep some physical copies of important things – like supercritical contracts, licenses, etc. But, in the grand scheme of things, most businesses shouldn’t have a huge collection of paper documents anymore. Instead, the focus should be on taking your old documents and digitizing them! They are safer when stored on devices and stored in the cloud. The world is going paperless, maybe it’s time for your business to follow suit?

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jul1

How To Be Greener In Your Kitchen

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How To Be Greener In Your Kitchen

Most of your resources are used in the kitchen so cooking and food preparation is a great place to start when thinking about sustainability. You can begin your eco-friendly journey with some simple adjustments and using things in different ways throughout the home. Let’s get started:

Use Organic Ingredients:

Foods grown organically contain higher levels of healthy nutrients like antioxidants than foods grown conventionally. Additionally, when you only eat organic foods, your symptoms may lessen or even disappear if you have allergies to certain foods, substances, or preservatives. Organics also contain no pesticides and are sustainable. One of the more sustainable ingredients you can use is hemp oil and rosin extract. These contain CBD but not THC and are, therefore, legally used as ingredients in cannabis food like gummies and flavored chocolate.

Ditch Plastic:

You are probably already aware of how harmful single use plastics are. Dangerous items like food containers, drink can rings, and clothing containing micro plastics are destroying the oceans and wildlife. Over one million seabirds and about 100,000 marine animals are killed yearly by plastic products. Thankfully, switching to more environmentally friendly products is simpler than ever. You could, for instance, use glass jars for storage, paper bags, or boxes for food containers. And only purchase brands that you know use sustainable manufacturing practices.

Replace Older Appliances:

Your energy use and carbon emissions will significantly reduce when you replace older appliances. White goods are an excellent example, like your refrigerator, washer, and dishwasher. This is due to how energy hungry these devices have historically been. Newer models from reliable manufacturers are significantly more effective and adhere to current energy and carbon standards. Switching to more recent models will help reduce carbon emissions significantly. Additionally, you will save a lot of money on your energy bills.

Switch to Natural Cleaners:

Many cleaners for the kitchen and bathroom are made with hazardous materials. In addition, some of the most well known brands have zero sustainability. Fortunately, major producers like Unilever now offer environmentally friendly variations of their popular products and are making strides in changing their manufacturing processes.

Use Renewable Fuels for Cooking:

The oven is the most crucial piece of kitchen equipment. Cooking enhances flavor but, more importantly, it also eliminates moisture that contains bacteria. In order to produce the necessary heat, cookware needs a heating source. Here are some of the greenest cooking fuels:

  • Propane gas is much cleaner and more economical than mains gas.
  • Methane is clean, efficient, and abundant as an energy source.
  • LPG is a mixture of fuels, so it has reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
  • Biofuels are made from food waste and are reused and burned cleanly.
  • Electric can help reduce your emissions if you source renewable energy suppliers.

There are numerous options for clean burning, renewable home cooking. Making the switch will significantly improve your household’s sustainability.

Learn About Portion Control:

Food waste is one of the biggest sources of landfill waste and carbon emissions. Every year, nearly seven million tons of food are wasted in the UK alone, costing the country over £10 billion. If you waste food, buy in portion controlled increments and divide ingredients equally. This is easier to achieve if you plan your weekly or monthly menu and buy the necessary ingredients. Additionally, cooking for your family results in cost savings because you won’t need to purchase unnecessary extras. Or you can subscribe to a meal service like Hello Fresh or Gousto.

Recycle Everything You Can:

All non-recyclable materials are disposed of in landfills. Some waste, like food, can be used to make biofuels. However, most of the rubbish you discard cannot be processed unless processing plants know what it is. Sorting your trash beforehand can significantly assist processing plants. For instance, throwing away a glass bottle in your regular trash can will end up in a landfill and worsen the situation. But if you put it in the right bin, it will be processed for recycling after it is collected. Some countries also fine you for not sorting your waste.

Take Note of What You Can Reuse:

You might not realize it, but most items in your kitchen can be reused. Using reusable carrier bags when grocery shopping alone can help reduce plastic use. In addition, plastic takeout containers work well for storing items in the refrigerator, like cheese. And when you go jogging or hiking, you might think about using recycled plastic bottles as water containers. It’s also important to note that purchasing high quality pots and pans lowers costs. Copper pans from reputable brands will last forever if you look after them.

Not only is living a greener lifestyle better for the environment but it is, often times, better for your wallet too. Use the tips above to help you get started today!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Aug2

Eco-Friendly Beauty: Saving The Environment By Upgrading Your Routine

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Eco-Friendly Beauty: Saving The Environment By Upgrading Your Routine

Beauty comes in different forms and can be seen in various places, and appreciating it means that you should be aware of these shapes and sources. One of these is the environment that we all live in and live with. This is not just something that we can take a look at and admire, but this is also where we get important materials we need to make the products that we use to improve our appearances. Sometimes, we abuse nature in our pursuit of beauty, but that doesn’t have to be the case.

Pick Eco-Friendly Products:

A beauty regimen is not without your trusted products, but this is often where the problem lies, environment-wise. Many commercial brands use chemicals that may be okay for your skin or hair, but can be harmful when they reach the soil and water and the rest of nature. You can do your part in helping the environment by being selective with your beauty products. Find brands that use mostly natural and eco-friendly ingredients and don’t harm animals during production. For example, if your scalp is less than healthy, there is the herbal shampoo for hair loss available in the Philippines. There are also soaps and cosmetics that use natural essences to beautify your body.

Live Healthily:

Looks don’t just depend on the products that you use. The various rituals and procedures that you do are also important, and this is not just limited to how you put on your makeup. When you adopt a healthy lifestyle and habits, you improve your appearance as well. Instead of just putting moisturizer on your skin, keep yourself hydrated, and drink enough water. Make sure that you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and exercise, which will definitely help you achieve a better body overall, both physically and emotionally.

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Support From the Kitchen:

You might be thinking that eco-friendly products are going to cost you a lot more than the conventional ones. They might, but the extra you pay for is small compared to the good that it will do for your body and the environment. In case you’re in a financial pinch, you can go the DIY route and whip up some treatments from the natural ingredients that you have in your own kitchen and pantry. There are plenty of recipes that you can find online. In fact, even if you do buy some products, you can use some of these in conjunction with them.

These are but a few of the simple upgrades that you can apply to your everyday beauty regimen. And even if they’re small changes, they can make a bigger positive impact on the environment than you think!