It's Earth Day--but we're not going to talk about saving the environment by going green today. While there are many virtues to reducing your paper and energy use, we know that you've probably heard all about that already. Instead, we're going to talk about saving green.

When you think about it, caring for your finances and caring for the planet are not that different. In the end, it all comes down to responsible resource management. What resources are you conserving by going paperless? Money, certainly, but also time and effort.

In the spirit of helping you conserve the resources that are most important to you (whatever they may be!), we've rounded up some of our favorite articles and calculators to help you navigate the world of going paperless.

Exploring Expenses

We get it. The printing, the faxing, the copying--it's all familiar and maybe even comforting, especially if you've been doing it for years. If you're reluctant to switch to a paperless real estate practice, perhaps some cold, hard facts and figures will make you reconsider. Just how much is all the printing, faxing, and copying costing you? See The Hidden Cost of Paper Transactions to learn more.

Still not convinced? These two 'paperless' calculators can give you a more personalized look at how much money you're throwing away each year:

• Paperless Savings Calculator - This tool from Instanet factors in things like printing costs, storage costs, and staff time to give you a detailed idea of how much money you spend in a year on paper related expenses.
• Green Marketing 'ROI' Calculator - If you still focus on direct mail instead in favor of online marketing, this calculator from eMerge lets you know how much you could save by turning your focus to digital channels instead.