With more people working at home, a lot of unnecessary commuting can become a thing of the past for many.? But the home office environment is rarely a symbol of environmental efficiency itself.? Mountains of wasted paper across your desk.? The heater blasting.? A computer that never sleeps.? If you want to tighten up these glitches, here are 10 eco-friendly changes to make in your home office.

1.? Unplug Yourself from the Grid
Sitting in a brightly lit room with the curtains closed and blasting an air conditioner while a cool breeze blows across the yard?? All those hours stuck in the office can add up to high energy costs.? Open the windows for a draft or open the blinds to let in natural light and heat.? Make your work time less of a drain on the power grid.

2.? Bring Back the Paperless Office
The paperless office was once a dream and the future of the internet, but as the future has arrived it turns out our virtual lifestyles often end up creating more waste.? There are so many file-sharing, file-storing, and back up programs available now that there is really no need to keep paper records of everything as long as you use multiple storage medias, and our communication methods make most other reasons for printing just plain ridiculous.

3.? Maximize Your Paper
When you do print, keep it limited and use both sides of the paper sheets if at all possible. Buy recycled paper or papers made from.? When possible, be sure to recycle. Use a paper shredder to dispose of paper?you can even use it in your garden.

4.? Be a Computer Nerd
By becoming more tech savvy, you can learn more even more ways limit paper needs and increase productivity.? Organize things well online and there is less chance of losing files, which is often the reason a user prints out something out of frustration.

5.? Manage E-Waste
Dispose of e-waste properly to minimize environmental impact and before you replace something just because it is environmentally friendly, be sure you know the actual environmental trade-off of wasting the old model to buy the new.? Many times a computer can be recycled to make use of its spare parts or passed on to someone who needs it if it is still in working fashion.? Here is an idea.? Give it to a young person and encourage them to start a website about promoting green principles.

6.? Shut Your Computer Off
Just like your other appliances, you should always turn off your computer when you?re not using it so it doesn?t continue draining power.? According to the Alliance to Save Energy, $2.8 billion dollars is spent annually in America alone by people who simply leave their computers running.

7.? Use Green-Powered Online Services
Even our ?virtual? world has a physical impact on the Earth.? A web hosting server, for instance, is responsible for the same emission levels of a 15mpg automobile.? Fortunately, many companies are stepping up to the plate and using renewable energy resources to run their systems.? Hostgator and Green Hosting are two examples.? Find out what other online services you use for your business or personal life and identify the industry leaders who make the effort to be green.

8.? Learn Productivity Skills
Not only do productivity skills teach you how to make your time more efficient, but if you can learn to work better faster, than you spend less time on the computer, correct?? Not to mention the train of thought associated with productivity thinking spills over into other areas of life.? More efficiency is usually a good thing when we?re talking about out interaction with the environment.

9.? Use Recycled Furniture
Cheap office furniture is always easy to come by.? Forget about that stylish brand new office setup you want to buy so the people who never see your office think you are a professional.? Hit up your friends who are downsizing.? Check out craisglist.com for cheap purchases or freecycle.org for free furniture.? Hit yard sales and second-hand stores.? There is plenty of decent furniture out there to snatch up.

10.? Stop Being a Computer Geek
Are all those wasted hours online really necessary?? It isn?t doing much for those productivity skills you?ve been learning, and the chances are you are going to play around on that cool new site about picking up women for a few hours and never apply it to the real world, so save the trouble.? Instead, why not go outside and meet some real people?? Use that extra time you?ve created by doing something worth doing.? It?s better for the environment and better for you.

These are just a few things you can do to make the home office a greener room and a greener part of your life.? Just like any other area of you life, there are countless changes, small and big, to make you mark on the world less significant.? Get creative.? That is the real key.? And look through the habits you have created for yourself that are based on old foundations of thought.? Bring the green lifestyle into your office, make it a comfortable healthy place to work, and get on that computer to start making social changes.

Times are changing. Our society is evolving. And with the economy the way it is and jobs leaving America, its easy to get fired up about things and think in terms of doom and gloom. The thing of the matter is, however, that for a savvy self-motivated individual, this might be the best climate ever to make money, and what is more, the new characteristics of the new economy, such as outsourcing, make it easier than ever to live the life we choose.

Jobs are disappearing, sure, but where are they going? Maybe you’re answer is India, China, and other faraway lands. Many people are grumbling about the loss of work for Americans, and as our large corporations that we love to hate struggle to remain competitive in their various marketplaces, they are choosing to source more and more work that is now in-house to outside providers.

But are they really sourcing out of the country? Well, kind of. What they are really doing is just moving the jobs out of house. They don’t necessarily care if they end up in India or Kentucky. They just don’t want to pay for employees who eat up office hours on Facebook to get the job done.

It’s easier and more economical to pass it on to an independent contractor and pay them a set fee, regardless of the hours. And that can be a good thing for both the environment and you.

Telecommuting is good for the planet. America is a country built around the automobile. We love our cars, and since we’re such a young country, most of what we see today did not exist before Henry Ford pushed the first clunker out of the factory. As a result, everything is far away. It’s hard to leave the house anymore without driving for a half an hour.

And now more citizens from around the globe are sitting behind a computer in their bedroom rather than driving across town or in some cases hours away, which means HUGE savings on fuel. This is an ideal economic evolution for the environment.

As for you – who doesn’t want to get their work done in half a day without leaving the house and then decide what to do with the rest of the day? Before you say there is no way to compete with foreign citizens who will work for a fraction of what you do, not so fast.

What foreign citizens lack is knowledge of Western culture, Western business ethics, and Western speaking skills. Companies are even willing to spend a premium to pay for people like you to do their work.

So, if you want a quick way to start making money, alleviating the stress of an economic meltdown, and saving the environment by completely cutting out the need to commute to work, get online and find out what services you can provide from your home.

Article writing, web design, marketing, admin work, and much more – just find out where the ceiling is in pay and charge more than others do. Don’t start off too high, but after you’ve built up a good reputation, ramp up your prices, deliver quality, and live your dream of being financially independent.

Welcome to the new millennium.

Green industries are changing faster than ever, and with change comes a vast array of new technologies. We need experts who know who understand the bigger picture and how to incorporate these new technologies into our lives. For you aspiring college students considering majors, you’re facing one of the biggest decisions of your life. Green is the way to go. Here are some emerging fields of study revolutionizing the way we live:

Sustainable City Planning – The future requires innovative city planners who know how to can organize our lives to live with the environment rather than against it. What may have once come across as a drab field has now become very exciting as concepts we have never even considered are being factored into planning out living spaces. Portland State University, located in the only U.S. City qualified as in the world’s stop ten sustainable cities, offers a minor.

For those with long-range goals, you can get a Master of Science in Sustainable Urban Design at Lund University in Switzerland.

Human Ecology – A one of a kind university with a unique approach, The College of the Atlantic in Maine has only one degree – Human Ecology. Students are free to focus on resource areas, designing their own degree from a wide spectrum of disciplines, but the main focus is how humans interact with natural ecology. This has been dubbed as the greenest college on Earth.

Environmental Law – Radical new paradigms shifts require new laws, regulations, and civic responsibilities. Smart lawyers need to bring big corporations who think only of profit to justice. The Vermont Law School offers one of the best programs available.

Conservation Biology – Learning to live better with the land requires a deeper understanding of how the environment functions. We need to conserve what we have not already destroyed for generations to come. The University of Minnesota offers an in-depth graduate program for those with ambitious goals.

Green MBA Program – Entrepreneurs have finally come to the realization that not only can making money and saving the world mix, but economics is one of the most powerful motivators of social change. If you want to mix your entrepreneurial spirit with your social responsibility, check out the green MBA program at the University of California, Berkeley: Haas School of Business.

Energy and Environmental Engineering – Obviously, energy development is a huge field as well and sharp scientific brains are needed to unlock Nature’s mysteries. Opportunities abound in solar, wind, hydro, biofuels, and many more emerging technologies especially at programs offered by Illinois State University and Texas Tech University Wind Science and Engineering Research Center.

Sustainable Architecture – One of the most vital ways we can change our environmental impact is by rethinking the way we build our homes. Creative new innovations implement new techniques based on biomimicry and other concepts to achieve in our homes what Nature often already does perfectly.

Arizona State University School of Architecture

Sustainable Agriculture – Our agricultural systems are wasteful, inefficient, and take a big toll on the water and land. This field alone raises very challenging questions about the way we live. Warren Wilson College in North Carolina with offers hands-on training in a 300 acre farm and a 600 acre forest for hands on learning.

This list is far from complete in terms of both available degrees and universities offering them, but it is a good start to get you thinking. Be at the forefront of change. Make your living doing what?s right. For perhaps the first time in America?s history, that is where the money will be.

One thing I spend a lot of time thinking about for this site is what it really means when we call a product, company, or service “green,” “eco,” “environmentally-friendly,” or “organic.” It seems that there are an increasingly large number of companies jumping on the “green” bandwagon, but how do we know if what they are offering is actually green or simply marketed as such?

When I research and write about green companies and products for this site, I try to pay attention to the each company’s environmental and human rights policies, look up sourcing information on the materials used to make products, and concern myself with the entire life cycle of a “green” product – from conception to delivery. In doing so, I’ve certainly thrown out some “eco” products that weren’t all that green upon further examination.

I’ve been reading more and more recently about the “Zero Waste” movement. Zero waste is a concept whereas all of the materials required to manufacture products are used in various ways. In doing so, the externalities of the manufacturing process are significantly reduced, waste is removed from the manufacturing process, and new goods are created using materials that would otherwise be tossed into a landfill or incinerator. By creating zero waste products and working within a zero waste manufacturing system, companies can ensure they are participating in the highest form of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” possible.

If you’re interested in finding clothing that’s been produced using the Zero Waste mentality, there are a few cutting edge designers and organizations out there in whom you might be interested. London-based designer Mark Liu rolled over his Singularity Point Collection at the London Fashion Week in February of this year. By employing a unique cutting technique, Liu saves over 15% of the fabric needed to create his designs, and therefore reduce the amount of fabric needed and waste produced in the manufacture of his high-end clothing line. Liu’s fashions aren’t cheap (they fall into the – “if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it” price range), but are fun, eco-friendly and very sexy!

Another of these cutting edge Zero Waste designers is Caroline Priebe of the 5 in 1 Studio in Brooklyn , NY. Priebe designs under the Uluru label, and works in cashmeres, silks and hemp fabrics. When creating pieces, Priebe saves every scrap of fabrics and “upcycles” all of the previous years’ scrap remnants into the details and finishings on her new garments. By ensuring that every possible piece of fabric is used in some way, shape or form, Priebe is able to bring her Zero Waste collections to market. I like the $200 Cashmere Dress (on the left). It’s made with 100% cashmere and finished with a black silk scarf that was most likely salvaged from the trash!

The Zero Waste philosophy of fashion design is still in its infancy, and the cost of these products reflect the fact that this may become the next big thing for high-end fashionistas. Like most fashion trends, Zero Waste clothing will probably come down in price over the next few years – and like most things – is most affordable if you can make create your own personal Zero Waste line! I’ve listed a few sites below if you’re interested in learning more about this emerging trend and finding out about other designers who are turning their minds to reducing waste and designing the most eco-friendly clothing possible!

Zero Waste – The Newest Eco-Fashion from Planet Green

Zero Waste Designers by Laurel House of White Apricot

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Solar seems to be making waves in big business these days. As more and more companies strive to cut costs and reduce operating expenses, it seems that some have finally realized the economic viability of harassing free energy from the sun.

While it is true that installing solar arrays can be prohibitively expensive for small and medium sized businesses, bigger companies (who use more energy) have access to the resources necessary to make these concepts a reality. What’s great about large companies going green and building renewable energy projects is that, in addition to reducing their use of fossil fuels, the companies are paving the way and (hopefully) lowering the cost of installing these kinds of power projects.

In Contra Costa County, California, one of Budweiser’s cold storage facilities was recently fitted with a 16kW DC solar installation. Designed and installed by Perpetual Power, the installation includes 2,240 185Wp Mitsubishi Electric polycrystalline photovoltaic modules. Once the system is fully up and running, it is expected to produce approximately 60% of the building’s power needs. By adding a solar array to this facility, Budweiser is expected to save $100,000 annually in energy costs.

It seems as if Budweiser isn’t the only one who has noticed the relationship between more sustainable energy sources and tangible financial savings. FedEx Freight has a 282 kilowatt solar power system at its Whittier, California location, and produces 414,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Alcoa – the mammoth Pittsburgh aluminum manufacturer installed a 588 kW, roof-mounted photovoltaic solar power system at one of its California locations in 2007. Stonyfield Farm has its own solar array too. Installed in 2005 at the company’s Londonderry, NH location, the company has a 50 kW solar photovoltaic array – the largest in New Hampshire.

Big businesses all over the country seem to be waking up to the realities of global warming, and rethinking how they do business. While a solar array here or a wind farm there might seem small in relation to how much we need to do to fight global warming, it’s important to remember that the tide is turning. Corporations tend to go where the money goes, so the fact that profitable businesses like Budweiser, Alcoa, FedEx and Stonyfield Farms are all using renewable energy to run their businesses, may mean that other big businesses aren’t too far behind.

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For the past few months now I’ve been working toward starting an agricultural business that will be powered by alternative energy, restored to meet green certification standards, and managed with the goal of achieving profitability through sustainable business practices. In order to understand what’s really involved in building a green business, I’ve spent all of my time learning about other organic businesses, researching alternative energy technologies, tracking down grants, loans and funding options, and pitching my project to anyone who would listen.

By centering my business around the concept of long-term environmental sustainability, I am standing up to the status quo, and making a statement that I will not compromise when it comes to doing what’s right by the environment. I know that building a green business from scratch isn’t cheap – I’ve done the research, and I know that it will cost me more to build sustainability into my business than it would were I to throw those philosophies aside.

Money isn’t everything, and I believe that by doing what’s good and what’s right, I can succeed and build the business of my dreams. And while I do understand the practical realities involved in starting a business, buying a farm, and installing all kinds of energy projects, I’m also learning that there are organizations out there who are dedicated to helping people like me grow these kinds of businesses.

A few weeks ago I received a message from a young man named Owen. In his message, Owen introduced himself, explained that he worked for a company called NativeEnergy, and stated that he had been given my business card at the Craft Brewer’s Convention a few weeks earlier. I had been at the Craft Brewer’s Convention (part of the business I am developing is a commercial hop farm), but didn’t recall meeting Owen, and had never heard of NativeEnergy.

Our "test crop" of hops.

NativeEnergy, I’ve since learned, is a carbon-solutions consulting company that helps business reduce their carbon footprint by selling carbon offsets and renewable energy credits, and also by investing in companies that want to install renewable energy projects. Having heard of my plan from my Development Officer (aka “mom”), Owen contacted me to learn more about my project and offer ideas on how NativeEnergy and I could work together.

Founded in 2001, NativeEnergy is based out of Burlington, Vermont, and has helped well-know companies, including Stonyfield Farm, Timberland, and The Dave Matthews Band, to install renewable energy projects and offset carbon emissions. The company helps businesses understand their options when it comes to creating carbon neutral projects, and points organizations in the directions they need when it comes to the early development of their plans. At the same time, NativeEnergy works with carbon emitting businesses to help them offset their carbon pollution.

Since receiving that initial message from Owen, I’ve had 2 productive conversations about my business, NativeEnergy’s initiatives, and what I can do moving forward to try and develop my renewable energy projects to line up with NativeEnergy’s model. And even though I’m still in the early stages of building my business (I don’t even own land yet), the people I’ve talked to have been helpful, enthusiastic and eager to see me succeed. It amazes me that there is a business out there who contacted me, who wants to help me, and who may eventually play a role in actually financing my dream!

When I realized that I had to build this farm, and do it in the greenest manner possible, I empowered myself to challenge the way business has always been done, and make change happen from the bottom up.? So even though I don’t have a farm yet, I’ve already invested time and energy in figuring out what I need to make my farm sustainable. Building a business like this – with a mind to what REALLY matters – is a win-win situation. By planning for the long-term health of the earth and environment, I think that I am planning for the long-term success of my business and my vision.

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The Discovery Networks company premiers a new cable television channel this week: Planet Green.

We all live on one planet. It is rather odd that so little of our daily dose of media addresses our larger home. The environment, when featured in the nightly news, usual shows up as a special feature, a news piece that is pre-recorded and slipped in as filler at the end of a show. Even a major scientific report will slide off of Tom Brokaw’s plate if there is a celebrity disaster that takes higher billing. “Hold the mother-earth issues for a slow news day,” our media seems to say.

Humans made a game show channel, a cartoon network, and an “All Puppies, All the Time” channel before they launched a channel fully devoted to environmental issues.

I listened today to Brian Seltzer, of the New York Times, talk about the Planet Green channel on Marketplace. He called it, “The highest profile cable launch of the year,” and “a big bet that environmentally-themed programming can be entertaining [and profitable].” In other words: no matter how good the message, the programming has to attract viewers. It has to attract sponsors. It has to make money.

Who is Planet Green’s first premiere sponsor? General Motors: the makers of “The Hummer,” the king surfers of the SUV wave (which thankfully now seems to have crested.) Perhaps every major company or organization needs to have a green platform now.

Discovery’s method for attracting viewers, according to Seltzer, will be to focus on “making everything a little bit better,” and to be “optimistic, not preachy.” For the first half of this blog entry, I have definitely been preachy. For the second half, I promise to be optimistic.

I applaud vigorously. The Planet Green channel will replace the Discovery Home channel, which means it will be in 80 million American homes as of Wednesday, June 4th. 80 million American TV sets will have a constant source of awareness-raising, pro-earth information. That’s awesome. What’s more, the network is making a gamble, and to ensure that the gamble pays off they are going to have to create invogorating content. Al Gore giving (excellent) PowerPoint presentations is not going to be enough. I look forward to seeing the result.

A reading of Planet Green’s weekly schedule reveals their strategy: take show concepts that have worked before and paint them green. The schedule includes home improvement, fashion, and travel shows all with a dash of eco-verve. There’s a “Hollywood Green” show which features, “eco-conscious celebrity lifestyle segments in a sophisticated-yet-fun-to-watch style.” And then there’s “Mean Green Machines,” an enviro-friendly attempt at a greaser’s “Trucks + Bikes”-style show.

The big bang, however? Reality TV shows. Seriously. Check out the descriptions of Wasted or Greensburg. It may seem a bit forced, but if they can take reality TV, a style of television that is frequently reviled (although also frequently watched), and give it a purpose beyond ego-stroking, I may have to tune in.

The real gain here is to the American consciousness. Knowledge is power. Plenty of people have a luke-warm interest in helping the environment, and Planet Green may help them learn simple ways to really help. If arm-chair environmentalists learn lifestyle tips that help them save money while they save the earth, the show might build an unexpected middle-American fan base.

Depressing environmental news can lead to learned helplessness. Barring miraculous shifts in governmental policy, optimism and knowledge that empowers are our only roads out of the environmental decline. Knowing that you can make a difference, even in small ways, is vitally important. Despite my usual skepticism about such efforts, I’m going to tune in, visit the excellent Web site, and give big corporate America another chance to step up to the plate.