Simple Ways to Become a More Environmentally Friendly Freelancer

Here are 29 simple ways to do so.

The great thing about being a freelancer is how much control you have over everything. There are no bosses to tell you what company policy is or how you should do things. That means YOU have not only the ability but the responsibility for your work life. Today for Blog Action Day we’re going to look at some simple ways that freelancers can make their work-life more environmentally friendly. Because remember it’s the small steps that produce the big, sustainable changes.

Listed below are a ton of ways that you can become a more environmentally friendly freelancer. And because we *REALLY* want FreelanceSwitch readers to really take this on and work towards being more environmentally friendly, we are pledging to donate $1 to charity for every reader who comments here as a pledge to take on any one of the suggestions below (or their own). Just write what you’re taking on in a comment and we’ll put $1 in your name towards the Blog Action Day charities up to a total of $500.

There are lots of really easy suggestions here that are completely free and don’t take much effort at all. So make today the day to change one habit for the better.

Print Design Jobs for Clients

1. Always offer a recycled option for printing to clients (or even better, only offer recycled options)!
   
   
2. Design standard size printed items to minimize paper offcuts.
   
   
3. Implement a white border in your designs so you don’t need bleed.
   
   
4. For packaging design jobs, find packaging solutions that require minimal materials.
   
   
5. Use thinner paper stocks for stationery.
   
   
6. Avoid laminating paper.
   
   
7. Encourage clients to use smaller brochures, flyers, books and so on for large print runs to avoid using more paper than necessary

Bonus:
Designcanchange.org: Beautiful site and a beautiful idea.
Lean why you as a designer need to get involved.

101 Things Designers Can Do To Change The Earth: Here are some fantastic ideas for designers to make a difference - and amazingly there’s no filler.

Around the Office

1. Collect any A4 paper which is printed on one side and wire bind it to use as note paper.
   
   
2. When you need to print something, print on both sides of a piece of paper.
   
   
3. Put two bins by your desk – one for recyclables and one for waste.
   
   
4. Recycle your printer cartridges.
   
   
5. Turn off your computer when you finish work for the night.
   
   
6. Buy a video camera & go to a virtual meeting on Skype rather than driving to physical ones.
   
   
7. Send and receive virtual faxes rather than paper ones.
   
   
8. Send your invoices via email rather than posting them.
   
   
9. Install energy efficient lighting around the office.
   
   
10. In summer if you can make do without air conditioning, open a window instead!
    
    
11. In winter, reduce your heating and wear a little extra clothing instead.
    

Change Your Client’s Habits

1. Ask your clients to join One Percent For The Planet and give a small portion of their sales to environmental charities.
   
   
2. Whenever you have the chance encourage clients to make environmentalism part of their brands. Show them that this can be an asset to their business rather than a burden, and that consumers react very positively to companies that take environmental positions.
   
   
3. Encourage clients to run web marketing campaigns rather than print ones where the end result will be much the same (because the end result in paper waste will be *very* different)

General Ideas

1. Become carbon neutral.
   
   
2. Upload large files rather then sending them on disc. If you don’t have FTP, then you can use a service like DropSend or YouSendIt.
   
   
3. Take on charity projects for an environmental not-for-profit.
   
   
4. Join One Percent For The Planet yourself and give a small portion of your sales to environmental charities.
   
   
5. Use Concept Share to cut down on faxes and printing.
   
   
6. For photographers, send digital PDF proofs, instead of print outs.
   
   
7. Whenever you can give things away instead of throwing them. For example old computer equipment, magazines, furniture. Rather than producing rubbish, see if someone else might get even more use out of your old things. You’d be surprised how one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
   

There’s our list, please do take on some of these changes and let’s take a stand!

What are you going to do?

By Cyan Ta'eed