Introduction

The College of Public Affairs & Administration is committed to sustainability. Since July, 2007, we have been developing methods to drastically cut down our use of paper. In addition to becoming more environmentally friendly, our office is conserving two other precious resources – time and money.

Finally, we encourage you to follow our lead and make green choices when you purchase office supplies. The small added cost of recycled products is easy to justify when your department is saving money by consuming less.

Our green office methods are directly derived from the time tested 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

• Introduction: How to run a “(nearly) Paperless Office“

REDUCE:

• Read: Tutorial on Electronic Documents
• Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing
  • Introduction
  • Automatic Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing
  • Manual Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing
  • Print Multiple Pages Per Sheet
    
• Reduce Unwanted Mail
  • Cancel Catalogs and Junk Mail

Reuse:

• Print on the Back of Previously Used (One Side Clean) Paper
  • Start a Reusable Paper Bin
  • Use a “Draft” Printer
  • Read: Reusing OSC Paper Tutorial

Recycle:

• Diligently Recycle Paper, Metal and Plastic
  • Paper: If you can rip it, you can recycle it
  • Use a Shred-Pro Barrel for Sensitive Materials
  • Encourage Co-Workers to Recycl

Make Green Purchases

The money you will save your department by reducing your paper consumption will enable you to purchase paper with a high percentage of recycled content. Please see the Green Purchasing Guide for product recommendations and a discussion on the importance of making environmentally preferable office purchases.