The exciting thing about this trend associated with these cost-cutting decisions is that it is having a monumental impact on our environment. Hopefully, when the economy begins to pick up again, businesses will continue to apply some “green thinking” to its projects.

Nobody knows how to be resourceful and think green better than a project manager. To operate in an eco-friendly manner is natural for project management as it taps into all of the special skills that we project managers already possess. I have developed my own Top 5 list of ways to bring some green ingenuity to your everyday project management. What else can you add to this list?

1. Make a Commitment to Green. When you make green more than a passing fancy, you show your team, and your customers that you mean business. You’re not just being trendy, you’re making changes that impact the world around you.

2. Green Team. There are hundreds of ways to make your office greener here are just a few to get you started:

• If you are a small or home-based office, you can produce your own energy. If you can’t produce your own energy, look for a supplier that is producing green energy in your area.
• Put automatic timers or sensor lights in your bathroom, conference rooms or spaces that are not occupied the majority of the day.
• Use as much natural light as possible in the design of your office space.
• Use energy saving light bulbs.
• Switch off computers, photocopiers and other equipment when not being used. There is software available to do this for you for network-attached appliances.
• Buy office equipment with the best energy ratings.
• Use green materials when building out a new office, like bamboo instead of wood flooring.
• Use refillable vs. disposable pens.
• Buy green products for your office―everything from toilet paper to recycled paper for printing.
• Promote a “reuse” mentality and lead by example.
• Promote “think before you print.”
• Use environmental friendly and/or natural cleaning products.
• Support and buy the products of other vendors and suppliers who are eco-friendly.
• Support telecommuting or support car-pooling and ride sharing if in a suburban area.
• If you’re in a rural area, can you create a wildlife trust around your company’s property?

3. Recycling. Are you using materials that have been recycled and are you recycling the materials that you’re currently using? Regardless of what industry that you work in, just a little research can make a big difference, in your project’s carbon footprint.

5. PR with heart & soul. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of bad news out there. Your customers do want to hear about the good things that you’re doing. So, if you have a green initiative or a project with a green heart and soul, talk about it. Get the buzz going. Green PR is only bad when it’s insincere.

Practicing these five steps will also save you some green. Money is often wasted on disposable products and thinking green will prevent that from happening.

For example, if your company is brainstorming about ways to promote a new product, an idea like producing and distributing a DVD might make its way to the table. In addition to that DVD ultimately being tossed after its initial viewing, it has to be packaged with protective materials to keep it safe during its mailing. Chances are the DVD, the case, the packaging, etc. will not be recyclable. Instead, developing an online video campaign or a webinar with electronic invites to view your sales pitch online could be a solution.

Ultimately, the money you save in packaging and mailing can be put to great use in a better quality video and by capturing registration from clients who actually do want to view the pitch, you’ll have a meaningful list of business leads from those who actually want to know more.

Greening up the planet should be on everyone’s to-do list, especially for project managers. After all, who knows better than you about tackling something large with small milestones that make a big difference.

Michelle LaBrosse is the founder Cheetah Learning and an international expert on accelerated learning and project management. In 2006, The Project Management Institute selected Michelle as one of the 25 most influential women in project management in the world, and only one of two women selected from the training and education industry.