Going Green with Paper

Going green isn’t just a fad—it is a realization that we must use natural resources smartly and waste is just not acceptable to a sustainable business. But, think about your goals. Your environmental policy should make sense to your bottom line as well as reduce your environmental impact. Eliminate waste. Ensure recycling is a part of your business practice. Start with the Xerox suggestions for green office practices and then look for energy stealers such as excessive packaging, wasted paper due to excessive printing and even outdated databases that cause waste through mail processes. Find those energy wasters and save money, effort and environmental impact.

What are those green office practices?

Use less paper by printing only when needed and using both sides.
Recycle everything that you can.
Replace standalone equipment with multifunction systems wherever possible, to reduce energy consumption.
Use equipment with the Energy Star logo.
Return print/copy cartridges and supplies for recycling.
Use office equipment that uses less energy and is designed for remanufacturing and recycling.
Scan and share documents electronically to save on unnecessary paper wastage and energy due to the printing.

The goal is to use natural resources wisely—not wastefully. Never waste anything that is really not needed - including trees. But, many natural resources can, in fact, be regenerated. For example, aging trees stop producing oxygen and do not eliminate carbon dioxide as younger trees do. Forests that are harvested for pulp can be replanted with even more trees per hectare than before. The use of modern forest husbandry practices produces trees that are best suited for the local climate and soil. So, consider the whole story—the whole environmental cycle. Natural resources should always be used more effectively - and only when they are truly needed. Forests can be regenerated—but they should never be wasted.