By being a part of a company with a mission to go digital, I am constantly reminded that physical paper is becoming a thing of the past. Yet, my paper notepad is often the first thing I pick up when I head into a meeting, need to jot down a reminder, or create a to-do list for the day.
Why? Because it is easy to get stuck in your old ways. As a millennial, I grew up in an era where playing outside and climbing trees were normal, everyday summer activities. With “the cloud” being nothing more than an object in the sky and mobile devices pretty non-existent.
In my elementary school days, we were beginning to understand the world around us, but did not have the means to take the actions we can today. One lesson from my second grade teacher resonates – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. And, embarrassingly I can admit that I can still sing the Recycle Rex song in my head today.
With paper reduction being ingrained in me as a child, and now as a team member of eOriginal, I am reminded that our overuse of paper not only prevents us from conserving the natural resources around us, but it is simply archaic, and highly inefficient in the business world. And, as someone who recently bought her first house, I am sure every person who has signed the overwhelming stack of papers at closing knows what I mean.
Businesses are beginning to adopt paperless processes, like sending emails for communication, sharing files without a trip to the printer, and running their office finances through paperless statements and bill paying. While it is a good effort, we can take your paperless habits even further!
So together, I would like to urge you to stop being a paper waster. Here are five reasons why it is essential to get started today:
- A typical business office will produce about 5 pounds of paper waste per employee, per day.
- Every year nearly 900 million trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills.
- If you must use paper, make sure you recycle. Paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste (and one third of municipal landfill waste).
- If the U.S could cut office paper use by just 10% it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases (the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road). [1]
- With all the office paper we waste every year we could build a 12-foot high wall of paper from New York to California. [1]
