Paperless Month
First, we’d like
to put the scale of waste produced on campus into perspective:
In 2004, the campus
produced 1,686 tons of waste: 774 tons of this waste was recycled, 156
tons of which was mixed paper. The campus produced 912 tons of waste that
went straight to a landfill or incinerator!
--Source: Physical
Plant's "Environmental Policy" Handout
Since we are an academic institution, a majority of the waste we produce is paper (the above statistics only represent the paper that was recycled). We feel that we can reduce the amount of waste that is produced on campus significantly. Here are some ways to use less paper on a daily basis:
• Ask your professors if they mind papers being printed on one-sided paper (on the back of old print-outs)—many of them don’t mind! You can find plenty of one-sided paper in the recycling bins in the libraries.• Use the double-sided features on the copiers in the libraries. There are directions posted over all of the copiers and it’s easy to do.
• Use notebooks over from one course to the next, since the average person doesn’t use an entire notebook in one course. We put tabs on the notebook page where a new course begins so as not to get confused.
• If you are involved
with an org: advertise through eDigest, the Daily Jolt, and email before
you put flyers in all mailboxes and table tent. Table tents are a nuisance
for kitchen staff, because they create extra work for staff when clearing
tables. There are bulletin boards at the entrance of every dining hall,
so if you are tempted to flyer, then please post one or two flyers in the
dining halls instead of table tenting. This can save a considerable amount
of paper!!
Paperless March
is a great chance to begin using less paper and we hope that you continue
to do so in the future. You can save money on paper and notebooks by reusing!
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