Being Green at Work
Interesting Facts and Tips (1)
Paper – Despite advances in technology, the paperless office remains a futuristic fantasy, with the typical U.S. worker using a whopping 10,000 sheets of paper – as much paper as is produced by pulping a full-grown tree – each year. Much of this paper comes from native pine forests and is chlorine-bleached, a process that produces toxic dioxins. TIP: To cut down on paper, use both sides. Set the printer of photocopier defaults so that you have to choose not to print double-sided. Print out only what is necessary, and proofread documents carefully on your computer screen to avoid having to print multiple copies. Save single-sided scrap paper for taking notes or for use in the photocopier or fax machine. Keep a paper-recycling bin under your desk and in communal printing areas, and encourage your colleagues to recycle.
Trees logged from forests account for
more than 71% of office paper used today,
with 8 million tons of copy paper used in the U.S. every year.
That’s equal to 188 million trees.
Recycled Paper – A business is not truly recycling unless it buys recycled products. Recycled paper uses up to 90 percent less water and half the energy required to make paper from virgins lumber and produces 36% less greenhouse gas emissions, yet less than 9 percent of the 8 million tons of printing and writing paper used in the U.S. each year is recycled content. While recycled paper was once avoided because they looked inferior, it is now often hard to tell the difference, with manufacturers providing recycled paper for virtually all office functions.
Coffee Cups – Coffee has become an indispensable part of the working day. In America we throw away 25,000,000,000 styrofoam coffee cups every year! Instead of using cardboard or styrofoam cups, use a ceramic coffee mug. Over its life span, a mug will be used 3,000 times, resulting in 30 times less solid waste and 60 times less air pollution than using the equivalent number of cardboard cups. Ask take-out coffee shops to serve your favorite brew in your own favorite mug.
Printer Ink Cartridges – Dire warnings against reusing printer ink and toner cartridges contribute to more than 300 million plastic printer cartridges ending up in landfills each year; that’s about 8 cartridges every second. There is no reason why a cartridge can’t be reused up to four times. You will cut waste and save up to 90 percent on the cost of a new cartridge. TIP: Be sure to use a reputable company that will refill or remanufacture your printer cartridges and is prepared to offer a written guarantee against printer damage.
