Energy

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In January, 2005, Chris and Susanne bought a 1910 farmhouse in Morgantown, WV. Our goal? Restore our home in as green a manner as our bank account, and credit rating, would allow. After two years we were far behind schedule. The reason? All those great "green your home" articles and shows from This Old House, Natural Home, HGTV, etc. just didn't seem to apply to West Virginia. Most of the services and products were either not available here or were so underutilized that no one quite knew how to work with them. Sometimes we got lucky, sometimes we ordered online, sometimes we compromised. As we searched and talked with people, we noticed that others were going through the same process in one form or another. All this led to "Toward A Greener West Virginia." We want to share what we've learned, disseminate ideas, investigate new trends in our area, and spur action where we can. If you'd like to know more, let us know.

the Workplace

With all the talk about greening your home, your car, etc., we often forget about how we can take these principles into the office and make an impact wherever we work. Many of the same principles work for home and office.

Turn off the lights. You turn off the lights when you leave your living room, turn them off when you leave your office. If you are the last one out of the conference room, snack room, or kitchen, turn those off as well.
Designate the last person out of the office to turn off all photocopiers, printers, coffee machines, lights, and anything else that will sit around idle for the next 15 or 16 hours.
Use the power management features on your computer. These will allow your computer and monitor to switch off after a designated period of inactivity.
Turn your monitor off when you go home. Better yet, switch to an LCD monitor. Also turn off your speakers while you're at it.
If possible use laptops which are more energy efficient.
Turn off all electronics in your office before you walk out. This includes powerstrips and anything else that has a light on it.
Replace old style light bulbs with CFLs.
When you replace electronics, be sure they're Energy Star approved when ever possible.

Waste

Maintain recycling containers for office paper, aluminum soda cans, glass, and plastic in high traffic and convenient areas. Check with your local recycling center or municipal waste authority regarding regular pick ups of these items. If these aren't feasible then at least do your bit and pack your own recyclables home to dispose of properly.
If your office uses a professional service to shred confidential paper waste, request that it is recycled.
Be sure to recycle photocopier and printer cartridges.
Use scrap paper for taking notes and phone messages, not sticky notes.
Bring in your own mug or cup instead of constantly reaching for one-use styrofoam or plastic cups.
Bring in a washable hand towel to dry your hands during the day. If you want to see how big an impact this can make, try this. For one day, each time you use a paper towel to dry your hands or pick up a spill at work, throw it into your own waste paper basket. You'll probably be surprised how much is there by the end of the day. Then multiply that by five days. Then by 52 weeks. Then by the number of employees at your work.

Paper

Buy recycled paper for office stationary, printers, and photocopiers.
Practice two-sided printing or photocopying.

Commuting

Car pool
If you're considering a new home, consider the drive to work. Better yet, try to relocate close enough to walk, bike, or use public transportation.
See if you can work from home one day a week. This cuts down on 20% of your commuting carbon emissions. This is more effective in the Spring, Summer, or Fall when you won't have to heat your home during the day.
When possible, hold video or teleconference meetings instead of traveling.
If you have to run errands for work, wait until you can run several at a time or leave work early or arrive a little late and run them to and from home.