I’m out of excuses. Freelance Switch’s “29 Simple Ways to Become a More Environmentally Friendly Freelancer (+ Help Us Donate $500 to Charity!) has quick tips on healthy habits for print jobs, office, client habits and more. Freelance Switch is pledging to donate $1 to charity for every reader who comments on their blog 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 they’ll put $1 in your name towards the Blog Action Day charities up to a total of $500.

I pledged to do these (many of them are much less expensive and require less effort than the less friendly options):

1. Always offer a recycled option for printing to clients (or even better, only offer recycled options)!
2. For packaging design jobs, find packaging solutions that require minimal materials.
3. Avoid laminating paper.
4. Put two bins by your desk – one for recyclables and one for waste.
5. Recycle your printer cartridges.
6. Turn off your computer when you finish work for the night.
7. Send and receive virtual faxes rather than paper ones.
8. Send your invoices via email rather than posting them.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.