I decided to start t=
aking
the idea of conservation seriously when I watched Al Gore’s “An
Inconvenient Truth”, about a year ago. At the time, I ran a mortgage comp=
any
that went through paper at an alarming rate…each loan worked on could
account for hundreds and sometimes thousands of wasted pieces of paper. Each file produced a manila folder=
that
could reach 1.5 inches thick. That
file would be duplicated for 1st and 2nd liens, even
though they were piggyback loans.
Each of those files would have to be duplicated sometimes 2 more tim=
es,
one copy (each) for the processor, and one copy for the lender. If we had to submit to multiple le=
nders,
a new copy would have to be sent.
We went through several reams of paper a month. Not to mention toner, and energy c=
osts
to run the company, and time spent making copies, faxing stacks, sorting, e=
tc.
Last year, I gave bi=
rth to
my son, and the market I had spent so much time, energy and money developin=
g a
business around, tanked. My c=
ompany
wasn’t producing, because our products (and lenders) were disappearin=
g. My loan officers weren’t mak=
ing
money, and were leaving the company (and the entire industry in most cases)=
for
greener pastures. My interest=
s were
now with my baby and family, and I wanted more than anything to be home wit=
h my
child, not sitting in an office or managing overhead.
I made the decision =
to shut
the office I supported down, sell off what I could, and eliminate my depend=
ency
on paper and other forms of waste.
Shutting down a 1400 sq ft office, largely made up of paper files
we’d worked on for the past several years, I felt the full effects of=
the
waste we had created. We had =
dozens
of file cabinets full of files I had no room for at home. We painstakingly
preserved what legally we were required to from these files, in digital for=
m,
and shredded and discarded the rest.
I had to figure out how to operate going forward, and in a legal
capacity (mortgage laws require lots of signatures), without relying so hea=
vily
on paper.
Digital signatures, =
digital document
transmission, digital archiving and storing of information seemed to be the
only answer. I already used eFax for pape=
rless
fax transmissions, so all I had to do was figure out how to use their digit=
al
signature and document editing features, made surprisingly easy with their
software. I find/found it eas=
iest
to have a flat file system (with regular backups of course) on
a centralized file server ala Microsoft products, for my client data,
and Outlook and eFax were employed for
transmission. I was able to
downsize to a 10 x 10 sqft room in my house, st=
op
purchasing office supplies altogether, (I can probably live on the supplies=
I
have for 10 years or more), and make myself much more efficient at the same
time, which helped me in my business.
=
So far for
greening up my office…now on to my personal life. =
Being a
creature of comforts and habits, I knew this would be a daunting task. To begin, I made a deal with mysel=
f, I
would simply start paying attention to my everyday choices, then start with=
the
easiest ones to shift (like efficient recycle with the use of lots of label=
ed
trash cans around the house), and work towards the more daunting ones (tran=
sitioning
away from disposable diapers).
I started being very
conscious of my daily choices. I
added daily to my ‘go green’ to-do list, slowly adopting more a=
nd
more environmentally safe practices.
What a list of discoveries I made!&=
nbsp;
Did you know about gDiapers?
How about how easy it is to purchase
compost bins and rain-barrels from the city, at a discount rate, and
delivered right to your door (complete with pest-proofing instructions)?
I read an article in=
the
paper recently (I have yet to stop getting my treasured Sunday paper
delivered…but it’s on the list) about adding
Sulfer to the atmosphere to ease the effect=
s of
greenhouse gases (I’m assuming this is because Sulfur is similar in
composition to Oxygen, with similar chemical reactivity, yet greater
stability). This would change=
the
color, over time, of our atmosphere from Blue to Yellow. The proposal includes the idea of
transmission to occur in jet fuel.
There is no understanding of what the long or even short term effect=
s are,
of adding Sulfur to our atmosphere in these quantities. Probably nothing I’ve read or=
seen
about the greenhouse effect has scared me quite as much as this article. Ju=
st
the idea we are at the point in history that entertaining these ideas is ev=
en
plausible. If none of the dat=
a has
yet convinced us to make serious changes…this one surely should cause
some alarm.
………=
;…………………………R=
30;…………..
I started a garden.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> It’s not on my property but =
across
the street in a forsaken boulevard, where the construction crew of my next-=
door
neighbor’s house dumped unused/wanted dirt. Rather than be put off about this
unsightly new development, I chose to use the opportunity to plant peppers,
tomatoes, potatoes, and flowers.
All who walk by can observe, enjoy (and even destroy the garden) as =
much
as I do every time I look outside. I pass it on my way to the car, on walks
with my baby, I show it off to the neighbors.
I have already chang=
ed as a
result of my ‘go green’ exploration. I have become in my opinion, a more
socially conscious and connected individual. Every time the subject is broached=
with
colleagues, clients and neighbors, the response is positive. People WANT to get involved. They WANT to contribute, often tim=
es
they just don’t know how, or where to start. If we share our ideas, our discove=
ries,
and our passions in this arena, we can all help each other make a
difference. Please join me on=
my
quest, and lets help each other help the planet.=
Please send me an email with =
your
own best ‘go green’ ideas, testimonials, and discoveries, so I =
in
turn may pass along the good news on my website, in my blog, to all my
associates, family and friends.