Happy Earth Day!  Today is the one day of the year when the 3 R's, Reduce - Reuse - Recycle, are on everyone's mind. Of course there are so many ways to incorporated the 3Rs into your life, and getting organized is one of them.

Many of the organizing supplies you use (file folders, manila folders, envelopes, plastic bins and containers) can be used over and over again.  When I work with clients we try to reuse or re-purpose materials that they already have instead of buying new organizing supplies.  A great example is the standard green hanging file folders.  If you invest in good quality file folders (such as the Pendaflex brand), they can last you a lifetime. I know that I have file folders in my drawer that are at least 25 years old.

And plastic tubs, we all know that they last more than a lifetime.  They may be on our planet forever. So why not use them over and over again.  Before you start a new organizing project, take a quick inventory of the empty containers you already have before you run off to the store to buy new ones.

Want to really flex your "green" muscles, try using containers that came from something else. One of my personal favorites are diaper wipe boxes left over from my days of diapers.  My kids are 8 and 10 now and you will still find diaper wipe boxes in my home and car.  My father organizes his paper very nicely in recycled shoe boxes and other containers left over from products he has purchased.  They may not match, and they may not be pretty, but they work just as well as plastic container.

Make sure that your office has a paper recycling can. You should be recycling all of your discarded paper.  Check with your local refuse collector to find out if shredded paper is recycled in your community.  It not, you may be able to recycle it at a recycling center or through a paper shredding service.

If you do need to buy new organizing supplies, check out the "green" products on the market that are made from recycled materials. To celebrate Earth Day, the Container Store is featuring "green" products on their website at http://ping.fm/ZHpNo

Here is a summary of my "green" organizing quick tips.

1. When you purchase a product, consider if the packaging (box or container) may be used as an storage container.  Clean it up, remove any labels, and put it to use.
2. Before rushing to the store to buy organizing products, see if you can clean out a file or container you already own and use it instead.
3. If you have to buy new organizing products, make sure they are made from recycled materials.
4. If you buy high quality organizing products, they will last you a lifetime and beyond.
5. If you decide to get rid of hard plastic tubs, keep them out of the trash.  Donate them or give them away.
6. ALWAYS recycle your paper and cardboard.

I hope that you will take some small action to help improve the planet.  The suggestions above are simple and in some cases, they will save you money as well.  The bottom line is that when any item that comes into your home or your office you take responsibility for using it, storing it, and ultimately disposing of it. So of course, the less you that comes in, the less you have to manage.  Now that's an interesting thought...

What are you doing on Earth Day and beyond to help our planet?

Tamara Meyer
Organizing Consultant and Speaker
Meyer Professional Organizing, LLC
www.meyerorganizing.com