Here’s how you can save on office supplies and environmental wear and tear:

1 Save paper by using plain-paper fax machines so you canrecycle faxed documents. Even better, use fax modems andreceive faxes on your computers without using paper.

2 Use electronic mail to save paper.

3 Use recycled toner cartridges and recycled white paper in your laser printers.

4 Consider using double-sided printing to cut paper consumption almost in half.

5 Eliminate paper memos. Post important notices at elevatorsand other key areas to cut down the use of paper.

6 When buying a word processor, consider its print-previewcapabilities; if it doesn’t provide the view that’s needed,you could wind up wasting more paper in “draft” print jobs.

7 Use the Save-A-Tree shareware utility to compress text files from two pages to one.

8 Purchase software on CD-ROM instead of floppy disks. Younot only eliminate a handful of floppies, you get on-line documentation, eliminating the need for burdensome paper manuals.

9 Create electronic forms for human resources and other departments. Instead of wasting paper on forms for medical benefits, employees can fill in the blanks on their computer screens.

10 Examine the trade-off between hard copy and electronicdistribution for both in-house and external communications.How many copies of a 50-page monthly report or quarterly catalog does it take to pay back the cost of a more sophisticated information system that provides only needed data ondemand?

11 Recycle shipping materials.

12 Have an annual fire sale where each department displays used office equipment and swaps with other departments.Allow employees to have a chance to buy used office equipment at bargain prices.

13 Use unbleached paper and refillable pens.

14 Look for plastics marked with recycling codes, organic packaging materials instead of plastic foam “peanuts,”and appropriate use of recycled papers.

15 Encourage automobile commuting. Apple provides free shuttle buses from local commuter train stations, bicycles for use between buildings and rides home in emergencies.