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Home -> Resources -> Twenty-One Green IT Tips -> 14. Avoid Printing
14. Avoid Printing When we say to avoid printing, we are making a suggestion that is more of a “nudge” and less of a tip. What is the difference? The most useful tips are the ones that describe a finite set of steps with a beginning, a middle part, and an end. For example when someone tells you to “replace incandescent light bulbs with curly-fry light bulbs”, it is something you can do in a few hours. (Note: We mean Compact Florescent Light Bulbs when we say “curly-fry light bulbs.)” But when someone tells you to “take steps to improve your energy efficiency”, that is more of a nudge. When does it start? When does it end? Some Good News The good news about this nudge is that we, as a society, have been doing it for quite awhile. The rise of the Internet has allowed for much savings in terms of paper printed, mailed, disposed of, and put into landfills. Much of the content of the Internet, after all, is product marketing material that used to be printed, mailed, and - as often as not - thrown away. The other good news about this nudge is that there are a lot of good examples that can be copied. Over the past few decades, more and more institutions are making online billing and reporting available to their customers. As these services have become available, more and more customers are adopting them. Some Not-So-Good News The not-so-good news is that paper still makes up 40% of the material that goes into landfills. And then there is the energy and other resources that go into producing and transporting the paper and other printing materials. To learn more about the amount of paper that is entering the waste stream, Web search:  computer printing pollution.
Personal Printing What about printing for use at home, at school, or at work? Your time is your most valuable resource. You are the best judge for when it is prudent to print and how much to print. Parents and teachers should take the time to explain to children that – as with any other resource – to “take what you need.” The Real Tips The biggest difference can be made by those who either create - or make use of - online systems. Since that includes almost everyone, here are two tips that come from this nudge: 1) For those people responsible for online financial systems, seek ways to enable the online / paperless options to the greatest extent possible. 2) For those people who are customers of online financial systems, ask your provider to enable an online / paperless option. When those become available, adopt them in place of using paper-based systems. |
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