How Powerful Can Office Supplies Be?

Office supplies can be harmful by themselves. How many times have you accidentally stapled your fingers or given yourself a paper cut?

Office supplies can be assembled to invent interesting and quite dangerous office weapons. There are many websites that illustrate how to turn everyday office products into weapons, with step by step instructions including how weapons work, what works best, what hurts the most, and the types of injures can be sustained.

• Mechanical Pencil Gun
• BIC Pen Cross Bow
• Air Duster Gun
• Rubber Tec
• Double Maul

Mechanical Pencil Gun

What would you launch at your coworker or classmate? The easy to make office weapon will launch anything you can fit in the barrel!

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Interestingly, the movement to a greener, more environmentally-friendly lifestyle isn’t only for something you can do that will benefit the planet and future generations. Steps you take now to conserve energy can actually put more green in your wallet and bank account.

Yes, cutting energy can save you money. Here’s are some ideas for saving energy and money according to the U.S. Department of Energy:

• Work from home if possible. In the U.S., nearly 4.2 million people worked from home in 2000, up from 3.4 million in 1990. Working from home saves energy and time by cutting out the commute, but it may increase your home energy bills a lot unless you use energy-saving office equipment.
• Shop for Energy Star electronics including cordless phones, televisions, VCRs and DVD players, combination units (TV/VCR; TV/DVD), computers, copiers, fax machines, monitors, multi-function devices (fax, scanner, copier), printers and scanners. Energy Star office equipment is widely available and energy efficient, providing users with dramatic savings, as much as 90% savings for some products.
• Energy Star office products use about half the electricity of standard equipment. Along with direct energy savings, this equipment can reduce air-conditioning loads, noise from fans and transformers, and electromagnetic field emissions from monitors.

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Corporate social responsibility is an ever growing task for companies, and with today’s “green“ movement, this concept takes on a whole new dynamic. No longer is it a passing grade for a company to just make a donation or attend a fund raising event for the environment. Companies must now do their part and take direct affirmative actions to support the “green” movement as part of their daily operations. That being said, if you, as a business owner, have not instituted a “green” policy in your office, here are a few tips and resources to help you get started.

• The obvious – make every effort to purchase and utilize recycled and/or eco-friendly office products and consumables.
• Eliminate Styrofoam cups from amenity areas – convert to paper cups, and preferably ones made from recycled paper.
• Provide personalized glasses and mugs for each employee, and have extras for guests.
• Provide a simple statement on your e-mail footer such as “Think Before You Print.”
• Install appliances in kitchens and pantry areas that have high “Energy-Star” ratings.
• Install energy saving light bulbs and fixtures.
• Have employees turn off computers and other electronic devices before leaving each day, and especially before leaving for the weekend.
• Install motion sensors in conference rooms and public areas so that people do not have to remember to shut off the lights.

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Did you know that packaging constitutes as much as one-third of the non-industrial waste stream, which is why 28 countries have laws designed to minimize that waste? Unfortunately, the U.S. is not among them, according to www.idealbite.com.

To ship your holidays gifts the smart way, consider these tips that will help reduce what ends up in our landfills:

1. Instead of throwing away the shreds you get when using a paper shredder, use them to fill packages you send in the mail. It doesn’t cost anything, it can be recycled and it’s an environmentally safer product than Styrofoam.
2. Save cash by reusing. Boxes can cost a few bucks each. Avoid buying new ones by reusing the ones sent to you.
3. If you don’t have old boxes to reuse, insist on mailing boxes that use 10% to 30% recycled paper.
4. Ship early to avoid shipping by air. Energy costs for sending a package for next day delivery are four times higher than the cost of ground shipping.
5. Lighter means more energy-efficient (and cheaper), so make sure you’re using the right size box for the job.
6. Consider using cornstarch packing peanuts. They are made from corn starch and dissolve in water leaving no toxic waste. Organic fill is static free, economical, fast and easy to use. Place them outside and they will either disappear when the birds take them to make their nests or they will melt in the next rainstorm.
7.  Use recycled plastic bubble wrap to cushion the contents of your package.
8.  Reuse plastic shopping bags or shredded newspaper and pack it around breakables.
9. Try gummed paper tape made from recycled Kraft paper.
10. Visit Earth911.com to find a recycling center near you. Simply enter the name of the item you want to recycle and your zip code to find a recycling center nearby that will accept your packaging materials, such as packing peanuts. Most UPS Stores will gladly accept packing peanuts as well if you find your home or office is being consumed by them.
11. For holiday packing materials, try dry pine cones and air-popped popcorn. They’re virtually free, festive and can be fed to the birds or put in the back yard after use.

Discount Office Supplies | Recycled Office Products | Paper Shredder | 3 Ring Binders | Mailing Supplies

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Uni-ball 207 is teaming up with Frank W.Abagnale, one of the most respected experts on identity theft and the person whose life is chronicled in the blockbuster movie “Catch Me If You Can,” to help individuals protect themselves from a common form of check fraud.

Check washing is a process where checks are stolen from the mail or by other means and the ink is erased using common household products. The thieves will then rewrite the check payable to themselves, in the amount of their choosing.

Many uni-bal gel pens use ink that contain color pigments, which are absorbed in to a checks paper fibers. When an individual tries to “wash” the information written on the check, the ink is in effect trapped.

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