Going Green

Declutter your office and craft space and go green in the new year

We’ve all heard the term “going green.” Protecting the environment is becoming more and more prominent in our world today. We have the means and the technology to protect our environment and those who live in it in ways we never could before, so it’s vital that we all do our part to contribute. The start of a new year is the perfect time to commit to starting your going green journey!

Recycling, using paper straws, not drinking out of plastic bottles, growing your own produce, changing your light bulbs to energy-saving bulbs, using energy-efficient appliances, using reusable shopping bags, driving the speed limit or riding a bicycle instead, canceling junk mail subscriptions, and many more. These are all ways you can do your part to go green in 2020 and help preserve the planet.

Some of these may be more challenging than others, such as growing your own produce or, in my case, only driving the speed limit. When it comes to the extra paper lying around my office space, however, I can tackle going paperless or at least minimize the paper around the house, no problem.

If you’re big on DIY-ing, run an Etsy shop, or just love a good craft every now and then, you may have accumulated quite a collection of crafting material. While you’re decluttering your office space, why not get a handle on your crafting items, too?

A great place to start…

…is by requesting from banks and other companies that you receive mail from, that you go paperless. Most banks give you this option, so you are not receiving your bank statements or bills via snail mail and instead only receiving emails or mobile notifications to remind you when bills are due, when you’ve paid them, or receive general promotional information from your favorite stores. This decreases the amount of extra paper you have laying around and piling up, therefore, saving the trees!

When it comes to the paperwork you have that you cannot just toss in the recycling or need on file for financial purposes, there are many computer programs that are intuitive and work great for transferring all of that important information and having it on hand via your computer or smartphone.

Of course, there are always going to be those documents that you can’t just enter the information into a computer program or scan them in and save them down as PDF files. Things like deeds, birth certificates, car titles, etc. For these, we can organize and prioritize what we do and do not need a physical copy of using some of mDesign’s office organization products.

The days of standard metal filing cabinets are a thing of the past. There are so many more ways to organize your important items that can be both functional and stylish. These wall mount baskets from mDesign can hold several items: envelopes, folders, notebooks, binders, and more. They look great when stacked one above the other on the wall or side by side for added storage. Designate a basket for holding specific information, that way when you need it, you know exactly where to find it.

File organizers are an office item you can’t go wrong with. They create a uniform, sleek look when placed next to one another. Pair the baskets in black with the file organizers in black to bring together a uniform look in your office space. This gives your important documents a place to stay neat and out of the way. You can place these atop your desk, on a shelf, or in a cabinet.

A really unique and trendy way to store extra items is a wire end table from mDesign. They are an open-wire design, making seeing contents inside the table easy and you can also use the top for décor and other office essentials. The table comes in black, as well, to match your other items. It will look sharp when used in conjunction with the wall mount wire bins, too! Another great way to use this table is next to a chair or couch you may have in your office space or anywhere throughout your house; it makes a nice accent piece.

For the crafters out there, we didn’t forget about you! Often times the space we use for our office supplies is also the home for our crafting materials, so minimizing clutter for both only makes sense. Baskets can be used in any room of the home, so why not for your DIY supply?

Since we are on the wire basket trend, let’s keep that going. Metal wire storage baskets come in all shapes and sizes and can be used to hold a multitude of items, such as yarn, tape, scissors, notepads, sketchbooks, washi tape, play-doh, paint, glue, and more! I particularly like mDesign’s 12 x 9 x 6 basket because the dimensions are great for holding a lot of objects without taking up too much space on your shelves or in your drawers.

In the spirit of going green, as you’re going through and recycling old papers, recycle some of your old crafting supplies you don’t need, use, or that are not still good for use anymore. An environmentally conscious way to go about disposing of these items, is to do a simple look up of how to dispose of certain chemicals.

For example, reach out to your community to find out what is the safe way to get rid of unused paint. If your community does not have a paint recycling program or the paint is unusable, pour the paint into a plastic container filled with cat litter or paper scraps, let the paint dry, and then throw it away in the trash.

Check out our site to see the various other sizes and styles of wire baskets to create a storage solution that fits your needs and the amount of space you have to work with in your home office, craft room, or just generally throughout your home!

Sorting through, recycling, and reorganizing your craft and office areas are just the decluttering and environmentally proactive changes that we can all make in 2020…

Why not start today?

Shaylee Dillen is a SEO Content Writer at mDesign
and considers herself a caffeine and cosmetics fanatic!

How do you stay organized? We’d love to hear your story!
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