Real Words

In the past I’ve written a lot on this blog about being a greener writer. I’ve written about determining how green you are as a writer, fixing your bad un-green habits as a web writer and using green social bookmarking. However, I have not written a whole lot about green reading.

A great article on ways to green your reading that I just saw made me realize that I was remiss in not addressing this specific topic since most writers are also readers and that’s definitely another area of our lives and work where we can all stand to be a bit more green.

The article mentions three great ways to green your reading – using Paperback Swap sites, using Kindle and reading eBooks instead of regular books. The main goal with all of these methods of greener reading is to reduce your consumption of new books because this reduces the need for more trees to be cut down to make those books.

When choosing these methods, there are some things that you need to take into consideration. You need to consider the energy usage of your computer and Kindle reading so that you don’t waste energy here and reduce the greenness of the act. You need to think about the materials that you use when shipping books for a swap because if these aren’t green then you aren’t being as green as you could be.

In addition to greening your reading in these ways, there are other things that you can do to be a green reader. Make sure that you read up on green topics. Try to buy books made from sustainable or recycled materials. Make sure that you give away or recycle books and never trash them. Buy used as often as possible. Buy from sellers that are concerned about green issues. Only buy books that you actually might want to keep and keep going back to. Use the local library - and walk there instead of driving! Use a low-energy reading lamp instead of the light in the room when reading in bed.

The important thing is to think about your consumption of books and how green it is (or isn’t). Then come up with creative green ideas for making sure that your life as a reader is greener tomorrow than it was today.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

It’s always inspiring to see people joining together in any sort of movement. Earth Day is one of those times. To celebrate, take a moment to learn something new about being green.

• Real Words posts about green writing
• Wikipedia on Earth Day
• Earth Day Official Page
• Go Green @ Treehugger: http://www.treehugger.com/gogreen.php
• Guide to a Healthy Life Style

Question of the Day: What are you doing as a writer to celebrate Earth Day?

[Tags] green writing, earth day, green links [/Tags]

Green Writing is a weekly column here on Real Words which provides information about all aspects of being eco-friendly as a writer for the web. But how do you know what steps are right to take for your own green writing if you don’t know what kind of green writer you are?

Here’s a look at the 5 basic levels of green writing that people go through on their path to becoming an environmentally-kind green writer. You’ll also find tips on how to get to the next level so you can be a little greener tomorrow than you were today.

1. Writer With a Hint of Green. This is the person who is just starting out in writing and/or green activity; he or she may be more active in one than the other. As a rule, this individual is aware that there can be a link between writing and being green but hasn’t gotten active in the practice of greening their writing. This level is the easiest to move up from because there are so many places that you can go from here. For example, you can start recycling your inkjet cartridges instead of throwing them out. You can add green links to your website. Most importantly, you just need to start educating yourself about the specific things that you can do to be a green writer. Knowledge is power after all.
2. Getting Greener. This is the writer who has moved up from the basic level and begun implementing a few green habits in his or her work. He or she has a better grasp on what the basics of being a green writer entails. Not all of the changes have been put in place yet but some basic rituals – such as printing double-sided and single-spaced on paper that then gets recycled - are starting to become a reality of this writer’s working world.
3. Middle-of-the-Green Writer. This is the most common type of green writer that we’re going to see as the writing world begins to realize the importance of going green. This writer is either a part-time or full-time writer who makes a conscious effort to be green as often as possible without making significant lifestyle changes. For example, the writer may have a choice between taking two assignments and will choose the one with the greener company but wouldn’t turn down the non-green company if it was the only choice available. The key to moving on from this level is to make a list of the green goals that you have as a writer and start checking them off one by one.
4. Green Ribbon Writer. You know that you’ve moved on from being a middle-of-the-green writer when you start getting some recognition for your green writing work. Perhaps you start noticing that you’re getting a lot of links to your blog from green sources. Or maybe you are regularly successful on green social bookmarking sites. Or perhaps you notice that more than fifty percent of your clients are concerned about green things. In other words, you’re at this level of green writing when most of the writing you do could be called green and others are starting to notice that. To move on from this level, you’ll want to aim to make 100% of your work green in one way or another.
5. Green Writing Machine. This is the writer who goes above-and-beyond when it comes to making her writing green. She only writes for companies that practice green habits. He has a green blog or has been published in environmental magazines. She uses public transportation or a hybrid car to get to all of her writing-related appointments. In other words, this person is both an active (usually full-time) writer and someone who lives a green lifestyle through and through. Of course, there are always more changes that can be made so the key to moving on from here is just to stay on top of changes in green news and technology.

There is no right or wrong way to being a green writer. Every little step that you take to practice eco-friendly actions in your web writing is a step towards improving the earth. However, there are different levels of effort that writers put in to be green. Challenge yourself to rise to the next level in the green writing ladder.

Check out these green writers for inspiration: Crafty Green Poet, Root for Green, Victoria Everman

Question of the Day: What level of green writer are you and are you content staying at that level?

[Tags] green writing, green, writing, eco-friendly, environment, responsibility [/Tags]

Green Writing is a Tuesday column here on Real Words that emphasizes the importance of being eco-friendly as a web writer. Additional green writing posts including tips on being green can be found here.

One of the big things that web writers do (or should do) is social bookmarking. This allows writers to promote their own posts and support the posts of others they enjoy reading on the web. The web writer who wants to be greener in his or her actions should make an effort to include green social bookmarking as part of his or her daily work.

Green social bookmarking means promoting posts about green issues. This is particularly true if you write and / or read posts about green writing, green blogging and green creativity. But it applies to supporting any green web content that you find useful to being more eco-friendly. By doing this, you encourage others to read about green topics and potentially be greener in their daily lives. And a bonus is that you can promote your own green writing (including articles that only mention green issues) in the process.

Here are some of the best sites for doing green social bookmarking:

• Hugg. This is a social bookmarking site operated by green news site Treehugger; it is specific to green topics. That means that any green writing you do can be submitted here. It also means that you’ll easily be able to identify green topics to read about it since everything here is green. There’s a lot of great info and you’ll be able to network with a lot of people who are also interested in green writing.
• Mixx. Mixx is one of my favorite social networking sites. One of the reasons for that is that it lets you join groups to which people post topics about specific things. There’s a “Green News” group that tends to be active which means that you regularly see new links to green news items and blog posts. And of course you can add your own green voice to the Mixx.
• StumbleUpon. The best way to get to green information on this site is to “stumble” using the keyword “green”. I did it just now to double check and the first three sites that came up for me was a Treehugger post on diesel fuel, a site called GreenUpgrader, and info about an eco-competition on Life Goggles which is a green news site. All great stuff!
• Greensense. This site is a new site, in beta, that appears as though it’s going to have a green social networking section in addition to lots of other green Web 2.0 stuff. No details on the “about” page yet though so this is just one to keep an eye on.

People who are interested in green social networking (in addition to green bookmarking) should check out the recommendations offered by Treehugger.

Question of the Day: What other social bookmarking sites have strong green writing communities?

[Tags] green writing, green, environment, eco-friendly, creativity, writing, freelance, social bookmarking, social networking [/Tags]

As you may have noticed if you’re a regular (or semi-regular) reader of Real Words, this blog places a big emphasis on the art of green writing. This refers to any and every thing that writers and bloggers can do in their daily work to be a little bit more eco-friendly. It is a foundation of my career as a writer that I think we should only do with our work what we find to be good for our lives. And one of the things that I think is important is living a green life.

Here are some of the really basic reasons that I think green writing is important:

• The earth needs it. When it boils down to it, I think that being green is an important way to be in this day and age. We’re running out of the resources we’ve got and we each have to do our part to preserve the quality of the earth around us.
• Writing is education. Writing is the art of organizing and disseminating information for others to use as a learning tool. Whether or not you aim to be an educator in your writing, this is what your writing has the potential to do. As a result, we can use green writing to let others know about ways that they can be green. That’s one of the aims of Real Words “green writing” posts.
• More and more people are writing from home. The work-at-home writer didn’t used to be a significant part of the population. While it was still important to do our part for greening the earth, it wasn’t as significant a few years ago as it is today. With telecommuting becoming increasingly ubiquitous, the work-at-home writing group has a significantly stronger voice than in the past. And that means that our collective actions count for more than they used to. Let’s be green about them!
• Creative lives allow us to merge our beliefs. It’s not always easy to let all of your beliefs shine through in your work, especially when you’re working at an office job. You’re obligated to keep some of your beliefs in check when you work for other organizations. And the simple process of dealing with the daily grind can make it hard for you to enact all of your beliefs. (For example, you want to be green but the business that you spend all day at doesn’t support recycling; it’s significantly harder to recycle at work.) However, when we opt for creative careers like writing which are primarily self-directed, we can choose to let all of our beliefs come through in our work. We don’t just have to say we want to be green; we can take action and merge our work and and the rest of our life to create a balanced existence. In other words, if you believe in green principles then you should implement them in your writing work in order to reflect your whole creative self in all that you do.

If you’re interested in learning more about being a green writer, check out previous green writing posts here.

Question of the Day: What are your thoughts on the importance of green writing?

[Tags] green writing, eco-friendly, green, writing, creativity, earth, environment [/Tags]

It’s tech-free Tuesday around here and that means that it’s time for another Real Words post on green writing. We all need to do our part to be kinder to the world around us. The best place to start is to clean up our act when it comes to work.

Here are 10 eco-harmful things that many writers and bloggers are guilty of … if you see something on the list that applies to you, consider making an effort to change your ways today! Every little bit helps.

1. The computer is always on. I’m definitely guilty of this one. I have two computers , a printer and a fax constantly turned on and using up energy. The reality is that I’m using at least one of the items most of the day but I probably don’t need to leave them all on all of the time. One way I counter this is to take tech-free days but I could certainly also turn off some of the equipment at least some of the time each day.
2. Working for eco-harmful companies. As a writer, you often have to take the work that you are able to get. Despite this, you should try to do at least a little research into the background of the companies and clients that you work for. If at all possible, try to work entirely or primarily with companies that engage in green practices. After all, when you do work that supports eco-harmful companies, you’re doing your part to damage the earth.
3. Driving when we could walk. People who work as freelancers generally have the ability to schedule their own time. This means that we can plan to take a little bit longer to get somewhere and use that time to walk, bike or take public transportation instead of driving our cars. The person who has to get to and from their errands during a scheduled lunch braek doesn’t have that luxury; we do. At the very least, we can schedule all of our errands and out-of-office meetings to take place around the same time so that we reduce the number of trips we take in the car.
4. Throwing away paper. You probably generate a lot of paper in the course of a week’s worth. You should be recycling it. Re-use it for note-taking when you can, make your own homemade paper with the scraps or stick it in the recycling bin to be greener than you are today.
5. Subscribing to magazines. You can read these online and save some trees but many web writers prefer the physical feel of the magazine because it differs from their usual experience of reading blogs. Try to limit your magazine subscriptions or at least donate the magazines when you are done with them.
6. Excessive use of computer ink. First of all, many web writers print out things they could read online which wastes ink. Second, they often just toss their ink cartridges as soon as they’re out. You can refill them to save on money and save on wasting the environment. And instead of tossing them, you can find a local recycling company that will make sure they don’t just go to the landfill. The U.S. Postal Service has also just started a pilot program that will let you mail those cartridges in for free recycling.
7. Letting books gather dust. Writers love books. However, a collection of books that you aren’t reading is a waste of trees and space. Periodically going through your books and getting rid of what you don’t read can help green the Earth. Ideally, you’ll sell them or give them away to others who want to read them. Alternatively, you can recycle them or you can turn them into altered art. Just don’t let them sit there.
8. Jumping on the new phone bandwagon. Many web writers are interested in always getting the latest new cell phone. That’s because they want to be able to Twitter away, access their Facebook from their phone or simply get online for web research. Ask yourself if you really need to toss your old phone already or if you can hang on a little longer to what you’ve already got working for you. If you do need a new phone, make sure you recycle and don’t just send that mobile phone to the landfill.
9. Turning up the AC and heat in the home. If you work from home, you probably get used to the climate control in your house. You may be wasting energy that you don’t need to waste. Get outside a few times a day for a brisk walk and you’ll warm up without turning on the heat. Open your windows instead of turning on the air conditioner.
10. Ignoring the green movement. More than anything else, most web writers are guilty of completely ignoring the green movement, at least insofar as it applies to their work. They simply don’t think about it and that can be the most earth-damaging act of all. Simple acts like adding green links to your site, writing about green issues and simply being aware that there are things that you can do to be a greener writer can start making serious change in the world around you.

Every single one of us can do something a little bit greener today than what we did yesterday. The earth depends on our willingness to do that.

Question of the Day: Do you think web writers can make a difference to the environment by implementing greener writing habits?

[Tags] green writing, eco-friendly, earth, environment, writing, web writer, blogging [/Tags]

I’m currently infatuated with the design of a new hybrid / plug-in electric vehicle that is being made this year by a new car company called Aptera. The vehicle is a three-wheel car that gets the equivalent of 300 mpg and has other neat eco-friendly features such as a heating and cooling system that’s powered by solar panel energy. It’s a fully-functional car able to handle highway speeds and is available for pre-order by California residents at the current time.

Here are a few of the reasons that I find this car to be inspiring:

• It’s eco-friendly. I’m a big fan of the green movement (and strongly believe that writers should practice green habits; learn more here). Anything that moves this forward is inspiring to me.
• The design is truly unique. It’s not something that you can see anywhere else. That kind of vision is always inspirational. More than that, it’s got a forward-thinking style that makes it look like a space vehicle. That makes me want to create a character who will want to ride in that car. It gets those wheels of creative writing spinning.
• It’s neither here nor there. It’s a three-wheel car that’s classified as a motorcycle but functions like a car. That kind of ambiguity leaves room for inspiration. It makes me wonder what else lies in its in-betweens.

Learn more about the Aptera car here.

Question of the Day: Do you believe that a car can be a source of inspiration for a writer?

[Tags] aptera, hybrid, plug-in car, electric vehicle, green, eco-friendly, inspiration, design, auto [/Tags]

People who know me well know that my days off from work are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They also know that I try to make Tuesdays an entirely tech-free day. (You can learn more about this here.) I do this because I think that it’s important for writers to do their part to be green and making a day off tech-free is one way to do that. I also do it because I think it’s important for writers to take some time away from the computer screen to get reacquainted with the real world around them.

This week is a little different for me. I’ve had to switch my schedule around a little bit and will be taking my tech-free day later in the week to accommodate those changes. However, I still wanted to do something a little green since that’s my Tuesdays are usually about.

So, here is a little bit of reading for you on being green and on green writing:

From my site:

• 8 Ways to Green Your Writing
• Add Green Links to Your Website
• Tips for Greening Your Writing

From other sites:

• Bio for Root for Green, an eco-friendly writing/marketing service
• The Green Writing Challenge
• Eco-Friendly Printing and Writing Papers
• The Eco-Friendly Writer

Challenge yourself to be greener in your every day life. You’ll thank yourself down the line!

Question of the Day: What’s another great article on green writing that I haven’t found yet?

[Tags] green, eco-friendly, writing [/Tags]

When I was looking through job links to post here on the blog this morning, I came across an advertisement by MyWordTree.com showing that they were seeking new writers. That link now turns up as being removed from Craigslist which made me curious about the site and caused me to go searching for it. It turns out that it’s a writing company which provides ongoing content for businesses to use to market themselves to clients.

The company itself looks interesting but what really caught my eye is that they advertise a “green links” page on their site. These are links to a variety of eco-friendly organizations online. The businesses don’t necessarily have anything at all to do with the company’s work but showcase different aspects of being environmentally friendly. This is an interesting eco-kind thing to do that I hadn’t thought of myself in the past.

Being a green writer is something that’s important to me and something that I’ve written on regularly. (See 8 Ways to Green Your Writing and Tips for Greening your Writing to see what I mean.) Somehow it never occurred to me to mention that an important thing that writers do is to promote the work of other businesses through links from their own posts and articles. By using green links in your writing and setting up a “green links” page like the one that MyWordTree.com has, you can turn people on to a variety of green practices that they may not have come across otherwise.

Question of the Day: What other green writing tips can you recommend?

[Tags] green, ecofriendly, writing, environment, freelance, links [/Tags]

I believe that we should all do what we can to be a little bit more eco-friendly in our lives. Recently I wrote a post about how writers can be greener in their working lives (8 Ways to Green Your Writing). The main way of doing that, of course, is to use your writing platforms to educate others about green issues and ideas.

Here are some tips for doing green writing:

• Write about green issues. The biggest way that you can be green in your writing is to write specifically about green issues. Articles and blog posts that are related to pro-environment issues are a straightforward green writing topic. For example, I recently wrote a green guide to mobile phones.
• Write for green companies. Every business needs a writer whether it’s for their web content, blog posts, newsletters, promotional materials or company speeches. Although this doesn’t directly inform readers about green issues, it does help to support the businesses that use green practices.
• Encourage recycling and re-using. This doesn’t have to come across as a “be green” message. There are many great reasons that you can suggest re-use of something. For example, you might be writing an article about art and creativity and one of your tips could be to look in the trash for ”found art” supplies before they head to the dump.  Similarly, you could do a profile on a “junk artist” (my current favorite recycled art artist is Brian Dettmer). As far as non-art topics, whenever you mention the use of any materials at all, remind readers that they might be able to find used materials at a low cost.
• Review green books and websites. Reviewing things is great for a lot of reasons. For one thing, you’re supporting the work of other people. This helps build relationships in the art/writing community and those relationships bring more readers to your work. Besides, it’s an easy way to share green info with others. (My favorite green site to point people to these days is Ideal Bite.)
• Mention your green habits in passing. If you ever write in the first person, you can easily mention the things that you do that are green. For example, you’re putting up your blog post later than usual … in your intro, you can say that you spend a busy morning taking out the recycling or researching solar panels or whatever you were doing that was a little bit green.

You don’t have to be a green writer. However, if eco-friendly issues are important to you, it’s fairly easy to include green tips and articles in your writing. This helps spread the word and set the tone for a writing world that has eco-friendly habits as its foundation.

Question of the Day: What other ways should writers consider for writing greener?

[Tags] writing, green, eco-friendly, environment [/Tags]