Sustainability In the Office: Paper Conservation

UCOP Safety Training

June 2009

Sustainability and UC

“Sustainability refers to the physical development and institutional operating practices that meet the needs of present users without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, particularly with regard to use and waste of natural resources.” - UC Board of Regents, June 2003

Sustainability established by The Regents as an institutional priority for the University of California

Sustainability and UCPresidential Policy on Sustainable Practiceshttp://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/policy.html

UC recognized as a national leader in campus sustainabilityhttp://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/awards.html

• Received dozens of awards, including state’s highest environmental honor (UCI)• UC “in a league of its own” according to Sierra Club’s second annual ranking of top

ten greenest universities.

Annual Sustainability Report to Board of Regents:http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/reports.html

Sustainability at UCOPLEED-EB Silver Certification1111 Franklin – Certified as a green building for operations and maintenance practices (2007)

Grassroots InitiativesUCOP Energy Pledge (introduced 2008)

• 50% reduction in appliances left on overnightReuse Center (introduced 2008)

• Every first Friday of the month in 1111 Franklin• Over four tons/ $15,000 of office supplies diverted from landfill since June ’08• Made possible by Building Services- Space & Relocation Management

Community Supported Agriculture (introduced 2007)• Subscription service; local, organic vegetables delivered weekly

Sustainability at UCOP

Earth Day, 2009: 10 Steps to a Greener OP• 10-point plan initiated by the Executive Vice President - Business Operations• Includes improvements to building metering and lighting systems and conservation

initiatives• Measures are expected to save about $30,000 per year• Complete plan available here:

www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/ucopsustain.html

Paper Conservation• 1ST item in UCOP Sustainability Plan: reduce paper consumption by 10% in 2010• Would save $7,600 dollars* and prevent the release of 15 metric tons of greenhouse

gasses. • Five easy steps that everyone can take

Conserving Paper at UCOPFive Easy Steps

1. Print to networked printers and copiers, whenever possible2. Print and copy double-sided as the default3. Shrink the default margins in MS Word 4. Purchase paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled

content 5. Think before you print

Complete step-by-step guide available here: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/documents/savepaper.pdf

Step 1: Print to Copy Machines

How:1. Simply select your networked copier from the printer queue (see below)

Why:1. Reduce costs: 2-3 times more

expensive to print on printers than copiers.

Quality is comparable for most jobs

2. Improve Office Occupant Health• Desk-side printers release harmful

compounds; copiers are isolated in ventilated spaces

• Taking breaks to collect documents from centrally located copiers reduces the risk of repetitive motion injuries.

Step 2: Print & Copy Double Sided

How: PrintingSet your computer to default to 2 sidedprinting:

• From the Start menu, select “SETTINGS”• Go to “CONTROL PLANEL”• Choose “PRINTERS AND FAXES”• Highlight your desired printer• Choose “SELECT PRINTER PREFERNCES”• Choose 2-sided (or “duplex”) Printing• Press APPLY then OK to save setting

How: CopyingMake sure that you are at the Main Copying Menu:

• Choose 1 2 sided if your original document is one-sided

• Choose 2 2 sided if your original document is two-sided

• Press Start

Why:By printing & copying double-sided, you will lessen your environmental impact and save money by drastically reducing the amount of paper you consume.

Double-sided printing & copying is appropriate for most jobs.

Step 3: Shrink Margins in MS Word

How:1. Open Microsoft Word. Select FILE from the Menu Bar, and then PAGE SET UP.2. Click on the MARGINS tab, and fill in your TOP, BOTTOM, LEFT and RIGHT

margin settings. 3. Recommended settings are .75” for TOP and BOTTOM margins and .5” for LEFT

and RIGHT margins. 4. Then click on the DEFAULT button (it's on the bottom left). 5. You'll be prompted: "Do you want to change the default settings for the page set

up? This change will affect all new documents based on the normal template."6. Click YES.

Why:Reduced Costs & Environmental ImpactsBy shrinking default margins, you will lessen your environmental impact and save money by drastically reducing the amount of paper you consume.

Reduced margins are appropriate for most documents.

Step 4: Use Recycled PaperHow:1. For everyday printing and copying, departments should order OfficeMax Aspen paper

with a minimum of 30% post-consumer content. Product numbers and pricing available at: http://www.ucop.edu/purchserv/psa_db/pubregisterindex.php?mode=1&id=142

Why:1. Reduce costs: OfficeMax Aspen paper with a

minimum of 30% post-consumer content is cheaper than equivalent paper with no recycled content

2. Reduced impact: manufacture of recycled content paper uses fewer trees and is less energy and waster-intensive than the manufacture of conventional paper.

3. We said we would: UC policy commits the University to purchasing paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer content 100% of the time.

Step 5: Think Before You PrintA Couple Tips:

• Use print preview to ensure you are using the minimum number of pages; adjust margins or font-size to avoid printing a page with only one or two lines of text.

• Electronically distribute meeting materials (especially PowerPoint presentations) before or after an event.

• If you must distribute hard copies of PowerPoint presentations, print more than one slide per page, print double-sided, and print in grayscale or black & white

Questions?

• For more on the UCOP Sustainability Plan:www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/ucopsustain.html

• For more on UC System-wide Sustainability initiativewww.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/

• Visit the Sustainability Table at First Friday Breakfast