If you have a say in the type of copy paper purchased for your office, select a variety made with recycled content. Recycled paper is not typically more expensive than virgin ... read full tip

If you have a say in the type of copy paper purchased for your office, select a variety made with recycled content. Recycled paper is not typically more expensive than virgin paper, nor is it inferior in terms of brightness or quality.

Compared to the resources needed to manufacture virgin paper, recycled paper reduces solid waste and pollution, conserves energy and water use, saves trees, and prevents the disruption of wildlife habitats and native landscapes.

Assuming your office uses one case of paper per month, you'll help to save 1230 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per year-equivalent to replacing 25 standard light bulbs with compact florescent lamps (CFL)-by choosing 100 percent recycled paper instead of virgin paper. You'll also save 2100 gallons of water and seven trees.

If just 10 percent of all copy paper used in the U.S. was made from recycled content instead of virgin materials, the total energy saved would equal 1.64 billion kWh. In terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the effect would be like removing 219,000 cars from U.S. roads.