Your daily dose of green is all about exploring the everyday things we do, probably without thinking, that contribute to the health of the planet and your greener lifestyle.   This can be anything, from participating in municipal composting programs to making an ecofriendly recipe you love.  The only criteria is that it is something small that anyone easily adopt which helps us live greener lifestyles. So without further ado here is my daily dose of green.

I was in the midst of changing my printer’s ink cartridge and I pulled out the new cartridge and then removed the envelope that was attached to the packaging. It was in this moment that I took pause because I realized that my next step was to place the discarded ink cartridge in the pre-paid envelope and mail it off to be recycled. Now, this is nothing earth shattering, but I never really thought about it.  I merely filled out my address and sent it on it’s merry way. All this time I was participating in Hewlett Packard’s cartridge recycling program and never really stopped to acknowledge it.  I know other companies have similar programs but what makes HP different is that they were  (according to their website) “the first computer manufacturer to operate its own recycling facility in 1997. [They] continue to set the standard today through their leading recycling and reuse programs.” Additionally “in 2007, [they] reached [their] goal of recycling over 1 billion pounds of products and materials! ”

Did you know that if you have an HP ink cartridge and have lost the pre-paid envelope, you can simply go to their website and order an additional one at no extra charge?  This means that there is no excuse for people not to be able to return their cartridges so they can be properly recycled.

The recycling program is not just available to North Americans who want to live greener lifestyles as “the programs are available in the U.S., Canada, most of Europe, and some Asia Pacific and Latin America countries. The countries where the programs are available are listed on the Product Recycling page.” This shows a global commitment on the behalf of HP to recycling these cartridges properly. The major stipulation of the ink cartridge-recycling program is that the cartridge must be HP and cannot be a refillable or remanufactured product.

My goal today was to highlight something that many of us do without thinking which adds to our greener lifestyles and highlight one company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility. The lesson learned is that you can make a difference to the environment with one single tiny action. Additionally you may now want to see if your printer cartridges can be recycled in a similar manner by the manufacturer or investigate recycling policies before you purchase a new printer for Christmas. Way to go HP, maybe more companies will follow your lead.  I hope this daily dose of green can add to your greener lifestyles.