Green your desk

(Photo: Diego Cosenza / Wikimedia)

You may do all the right things to green your home, but what about the place you spend 40-50 hours a week -- your desk? Whether or not your company makes efforts to be environmentally friendly, there are ways you can green your time at the office.

Drink from reusable cups. Few companies realize that Styrofoam takes 100 years to break down and plastic cups take 450 years to fall apart in landfills. Why do that when it's much more comforting to drink your hot drinks from a big friendly cup you've brought from home?

This can also be a way to express your personality, even in the most conservative office. Or have some fun with the ceramic paper cup spoofer "I Am Not a Paper Cup" that looks like paper/plastic lid coffee-to-go model. For water and cold drinks, you can't go wrong with Sigg bottles or Kleen Kanteens, available in different colors and designs.

Bring your lunch. You'll never have to guess the source of the food in your office cafeteria or surrounding eateries if you bring yours from home. You can go as vegetarian and organic as you want to be, and you'll be surprised the money you save!

Instead of using plastic throwaway utensils, eat with your own reusable cutlery like this portable set made from bamboo. Dab away crumbs off your mouth with a cloth napkin instead of reaching for a paper towel, such as the cheeky set embroidered with "I Am Not a Paper Towel."

Breathe fresh. Purify the air around you and help avoid those nasty flu bugs by putting a plant or two on your desk. The Peace Lily is one of the best oxygen-producing plants and is the perfect size for the cubicle desktop. It features full green leaves and blooms a lovely white flower.

Dress the part. No matter how casual or business-like your office is, you can make a green fashion statement with what you wear. Shop at stores that give clothes a second life -- such as consignment shops where you can find suits for half the price as new and vintage stores for some unique accent pieces. You'll save some of that hard-earned money you're making too!

And don't forget that thing you use most on your desk -- learn how to enable power save on your computer.