5 Ways A Photographer Can Go Green

The world is a buzz with talk of “going green”. I was in the bookstore earlier this week, and was amazed they now have an entire section on green living. As a photographer and a business owner, I’ve lived an eco-friendly life for a long time. But once you start focusing on it, it is easy to come up with more things you can do.

Here are 5 ways you can start living greener as a photographer.

1. A great place to start is to become a member of Greener Photography. It’s a way of connecting with other photographers dedicated to finding environmentally safe ways to run your photography business. [Check out my article on working virtually]

2. Use eco-friendly products. GP Albums just announced a new eco-friendly photo album, The Green Photo Album. It’s made from 100 percent recycled content, and the pages are processed chlorine free, acid free and lignin free. They’re also made with electricity generated from windmills – how cool is that!

3. Choose vendors that have eco-friendly options. ProDPI Lab is an environmentally conscious professional photo lab that does everything from sending all invoices and statements electronically to avoid wood use, energy use, and waste water from paper manufacturing; to having several green photo paper options including a 100 percent PCW recycled photo matte paper.

4. Choose vendors that are close to you, and don’t require a ton of transportation to get the products to you. Your carbon footprint is measured by the amount of carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere as you go about your daily life. Shipping products half way around the world would therefore create a larger contribution than finding something in your hometown. Find fun, new ideas by doing a search online, and following some of your favorite blogs. I love Blue Orchid Designs, 100 Layer Cake, and Photojojo to get you started.

5. Create a virtual office. Email contracts, brochures, information kits, and newsletters to prospects instead of snail mailing. Do business through email and phone instead of meeting in person. Work with companies that package and mail final products directly to your customers, instead of requiring double mailings (first to you, and then to your customers).

image source doug88888

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