6 moves to a greener workspace

1. PRINT ON RECYCLED PAPER - the higher the percent post-consumer content, the better!

Eco-smart: Paper made from recycled fibers instead of virgin fibers conserves loads of trees, energy, water, and air pollution.

CONSIDER THIS:

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, it takes about 24 trees to make a ton (2000 lbs.) of standard (20-lb.) virgin print/copy paper1, which is 1 pallet (40 cartons) of paper. 1 carton (10 reams) of print/copy paper weighs 50 lbs. 1 ream weighs 5 lbs.

THAT MEANS:

1 tree = 83 lbs. paper, which is about 16.5 reams of paper

So, 1 ream (500 sheets) = 4.2 percent of a tree!

ACCORDING THE THE EPA's MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE FIGURES:

Americans use 14 million tons of print/copy paper a year (that's 28 billion lbs.)2 - which breaks down to about 93 lbs. (about 18.6 reams) a person. It sounds like a lot and it is. Some offices are more paper-intensive, some less so. For instance, according to the American Bar Association, a large law firm might go through 2 cartons (20 reams) of paper per lawyer per year3, which is close to a whole tree per person every year. How much paper does your office go through?

The first step to be green with print/copy paper is to choose recycled paper with the highest post-consumer content available. Then reduce use (see #2), and recycle as much of it as possible. The good news is that 62.6% of print/copy gets recycled (82.2 billion lbs.)4. Go team. Keep it up

LOOK WHAT CAN BE SAVED USING 1 TONS OF RECYCLED PAPER VS. VIRGIN PAPER...AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 30% AND 100% POST-CONSUMER WASTE (PCW) CONTENT5.

IT'S MAJOR.

1 TON paper	virgin trees	30% PCW recycled	100% PCW recycled
TREES*	3 tons** = 24 trees	2 tons = save 7 trees	0 tons = save 24 trees
TOTAL ENERGY USED	38 million BTU's	33 million BTU's = 13% less energy	22 million BTU's = 45% less energy
WASTE WATER PRODUCED	19,075 gallons of waste water	16,450 gallons of waste water = 13% less water used	10,325 gallons of waste water = 46% less water used
SOLID WASTE PRODUCED	2,278 lbs.	1,941 lbs. = 15% less waste	1,115 lbs. = 49% less waste
AIR POLLUTION PRODUCED: Greenhouse gas emissions	5,690 lbs.	5,058 lbs. = 11% less total air pollution	3,582 = 37% less total air pollution
PARTICULATE POLLUTION	12 lbs.	11 lbs. = 8% less particulate pollution	7 lbs. = 42% less particulate pollution
VOCs (volatile organic chemicals)	6 lbs.	4 lbs. = 33% less VOC pollution	2 lbs. = 67% less VOC pollution

 Based on Environmental Defense Fund Calculations

*The figure of trees per ton of paper assumes a mix of hardwoods and softwoods 6' to 8' in diameter, 40' tall (6)

**it takes 3 tons of virgin trees to make 1 ton of virgin paper

 

2. PRINT DOUBLE SIDED

It will cut your printing paper use in half.

Printing from the computer: Many printers have "double sided printing" as a built in option, but if yours doesn't, you can do this:

1. First, use the "print preview" before okaying the print job.

2. Then, select to print "odd pages" (i.e.: page 1, 3, 5, etc)

3. Gather the pages, flip them over, and put them back in the paper tray.

4. Finally, select to print "even pages" (i.e.: 2, 4, 6, etc)

5. Done.

Photocopying:

1. Most photocopiers have a double-sided option.

2. Use it.

3. RECYCLED INK AND TONER CARTRIDGES

Most office supply stores will happily take empty ink and toner cartridges off your hands. But, they are valuable enough that companies and recycling organizations will buy them back. CH-ching! Or, for socially responsible recycling, donate empty cartridges to support a good cause - there are many out there that need help.

* eCycle Group | Printer cartridge recycling | www.ecyclegroup.com

* FreeRecycling | www.freerecycling.com

* Recycle for Breast Cancer Program | www.recycleforbreastcancer.org

4. POWER SAVING MODE

According to EnergyStar, turning off a typical computer when not in use can save $186 a year in electricity and prevent one and a half tons of CO2 emissions. P.S. Screen savers are not energy savers - a screen saver uses more energy than not using one on a power saving mode⁶.

5. USE A LAPTOP COMPUTER

A laptop computer uses about one-quarter the energy of a desktop computer⁷.

Check it out:

TYPE OF COMPUTER	ON Active Mode	Sleep Mode	OFF Stand-by Mode
DESKTOP COMPUTER	126 w  uses 4 times more energy	11.2 w uses 1.5 times more energy	2.9 w uses 1.2 times more energy
LAPTOP COMPUTER	30 w 24% less energy	7 w 37% less energy	2.4 w 17% less energy

Based on figures from Energy Star

6. SMART POWER STRIPS

Computers and their peripherals - like printers and scanners - continue to eat up energy even after they are turned off. It is called 'idle current' and can draw up to 40 percent of full power. Nationwide, this adds up to the equivalent output total of 26 power plants8. Smart Power Strips save time, money and energy for you by preventing the draw of 'idle current' of computers and peripherals when they are shut off.

What are Smart Power Strips? They are power strips with advanced circuitry that can 'sense' the flow of electrical current of what is plugged into it - like a computer. A Smart Strip will 'sense' when you turn off your computer and automatically shut off peripherals like printers when not in use, damming the flow of 'idle current' electricity. They also offer excellent power surge protection and line noise filtering for all around smart surety - excellent for TVs and entertainment equipment too. The manufacturer says a Smart Power Strip will pay for itself in electric savings in as little as 6 weeks. Now that's smart.

SmartHomeusa.com

Also available on Amazon.com

 

(1) Based on data calculated collaboratively by Conservatree and Environmental Defense based on data from Tom Soder, Pulp & Paper Technology Program, University of Maine, as reported in "Recycled Paper: The Essential Guide," Claudia G. Thompson, MIT Press, 1992

(2) EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), "Municipal Solid Waste in the United States, Facts and Figures 2005." epa.gov/msw/pubs/mswchar05.pdf

(3) American Bar Association, "The ABA-EPA Law Office Eco-Challenge," Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. abanet.org/environ/ecochallenge/overview.sht