There are lots of little actions that you can take around your house that will make a big difference, both for your pocketbook and for the earth.

One area where you can make a big difference is the way you use your dishwasher.

Think you shouldn’t be using your dishwasher? A study by the University of Bonn showed that dishwashers were more economical and ecological than hand washing, even for single-person households.

According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACE3), you should only run full loads. The dishwasher will use the same amount of energy and water whether it’s washing 10 dishes or 30.

Pre-rinsing isn’t recommended either. Most newer dishwashers are powerful enough to do a thorough job without any help. If the dishes will be sitting for a while before you run the next cycle, then use cold water to do your rinsing.

ACE3 also suggests using the no-heat, air-dry feature if your dishwasher has that option.

I like to run our dishwasher in the evenings during the summer, so I’m not adding extra heat to our house.

Have any energy-saving tips when it comes to dishwashing?

Are you an office supply junkie? An office supply hoarder? Do you only have what you actually need on a daily basis in that top drawer? Screen your office for green- here are a few ways to make it easy!

REDUCE- use only what you need.  How many post- its are required for the job?

Use refillable pens and pencils! Doesn’t it make sense? Why throw out the entire pen just because it needs more ink?

Use recycled paper! There are notebooks, copier paper, you name it. Check out Staples online and put “recycled” in the search box – you’ll be amazed by what’s offered. By using recycled paper, 95% less air pollution is generated than what is generated for virgin paper.

You want to make it all easy? Try Greenline Paper Company and order everything you need for the home and office online!