5 Top Tips For Reducing Paper Use In Your Office And Saving Mother Earth In The Process
Guest Post by Lior Levine
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 20 years or so you'll be fully aware that the blue pearl that we live on hurtling through space otherwise known as planet Earth has a fixed amount of resources.
There's only so much coal, water and of course wood to go around and considering the rate that some people use paper at and the insane deforestation going on at the moment it won't be long before all the trees are gone along with the oil and every other precious resource we have such a limited supply of.
Here are some of the best ways to reduce excessive paper use in your office or business.
Tip #1 - Stop Printing
OK now that sounds like a major case of stating the obvious but most of us have a really bad habit of printing everything that we think we might need. It takes a real effort to not automatically just print a document for reference but it's a change you need to make.
Think about it this way - how many documents have you printed in the last 6 months that you still use now? Exactly!. One simple way of approaching the need to refer to something while you're working on it is to simply use a dual screen setup on your computer - it's an extra cost upfront but the solution lasts for years.
Tip #2 - Use PDF Files
If you still feel the need to be able to take documents with you somewhere or share them then why not install some basic PDF document creation software and just create a digital PDF version instead? The software costs almost nothing and you can then share documents far more quickly across a network, by e-mail or remotely to a smartphone or Blackberry. Again this takes a little bit of getting used to but it's worth the effort.
Tip #3 - Digital Post-Its
Post-It notes are fantastic for reminding us about those little things we need to work on - from the groceries to an upcoming work project but no doubt your desk and computer is probably covered in these wonderful pieces of paper.
Not very organized is it? You can install digital Post-Its on your computer instead which have the advantage of always being in front of you, you can delete them when you're done you can even set alarms on them to remind you when certain things need to be taken care of. You'll have a cleaner desk, be better organized and also eliminate a totally unnecessary use of paper too.
Tip #4 - Collaboration Software
Most old-schoolers will have a habit of printing a document out to share with others and/or make revisions or to edit the content. But there's no need to print documents to share them now. Instead you could just as easily use Microsoft SharePoint to enable teams of people to work together on the same projects and documents. Or if you're a bit strapped for cash then something like GoogleDocs will do the job nicely too.
Tip #5 - Printing Tips
There are some things you have no choice but to print because of the nature of the document. It could be training materials or just something that needs a human signature. But you can still make choices that will dramatically reduce the amount of paper you're going through like using double-sided printing and printing more than one page on each sheet of paper.
Any modern office printer should support both of these types of printing and just following this tip alone will decrease your paper usage by upwards of 50%.
Reducing the amount of paper you use/waste in work is more about breaking old habits than having to reinvent the wheel. The 5 simple changes suggested about are enough to help you make a huge impact on your paper use and they'll also increase your work productivity dramatically - no more time is wasted standing around complaining about the office printer after all!
This post was written by Lior Levine, a marketing consultant for an international company that specializes in new cancer treatments, and who also works for the best web hosting companies.
Posted by Karla Arostegui - Content Mgr. at 8/26/2011 9:29 AM 
Categories: Ink and Toner Cartridges, Office Supplies
Tags: recycling tips reduce Paper
Categories: Ink and Toner Cartridges, Office Supplies
Tags: recycling tips reduce Paper
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