pay it green

Last holiday season I actually asked for a paper shredder because I was feeling so inundated with mountains of paper in my home office. I have been resistant to electronic statements, fearing the loss of the moments I set aside to review financial transactions sent via snailmail. Even though I resent this pile of sensitive information constantly stacking up around me, changing my habits has been hard to accept as part of the problem. I am a definite candidate for the Pay It Green campaign which advocates switching to electronic billing, statements and payments.

Going paperless saves trees, reduces clutter, improves security and saves me time while helping to save the environment. On this site you learn about the positive impact of going paperless with tools like the Green Calculator which tallies your current financial paper footprint or the Pay It Green toolkit for businesses. These days I hardly write any checks, but never stopped to think about the route this piece of paper takes. After seeing The Life and Travels of a Paper Check, I'm even happier let my checkbook gather more dust.

7 whole grains on a mission

I'm a fan of many Kashi brand foods already and their website is about much more than promoting their tasty whole grains, it's about acheiving a healthier lifestyle. What I especially like is their community space to challenge yourself with SMALL, and manageable tasks. Easier, less taxing changes to your daily routine are much easer to successfully complete. The site helps you track and manage your progress, gives you starter suggestions on modifying behaviors and allows helpful posts from others tackling the same challenge. Often we want to improve our lifestyle, but can be overwhelmed figuring out the best way to start. Here, you can find small ways to make daily changes in food choice, healthy living and fitness. You can also install a facebook application to keep tabs on daily challenges.

This week I did the bust your bottle habit and it's gotten me to bring my Sigg water bottle to work every day! What a great feeling for a Friday.