By Daniel Carroll Manager, Client Strategy and Business Solutions

www.mcsmanagement.com

June 2012

Tips for implementing sustainable practices

to generate cost savings in your small-,

medium- or large-sized business

1. Statistics

2. Printing and Paper Output Reduction

3. Document Distribution and Communication Technology

4. Office Devices and Energy Consumption

5. Food Services and Vehicles

6. General Facilities

7. Savings in Sustainability

8. Savings Calculation: Printing and Paper

9. Savings Calculations: Electricity and Office Devices

10. Electricity Costs on Items Left on Overnight

11. Resources

12. Green Your Everyday Life — Checklist

• The U.S. Department of Energy says that $4 billion a year in electricity bills is wasted because of

vampire power sucking (standby power).

• A midsized company with 1,000 employees and $100 million in revenue will produce 30 million

pages of paper a year, which equates to cutting down 1,369 trees and producing about 300,000

pounds of CO2 annually.1

• One tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets. 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6

percent of a tree.2

• Due to the explosion of information, we use two times more paper today than we did in 1980, on

average. 1

• It takes 2,000 times more energy to produce a bottle of water than it does to produce tap water.3

• 69% of bottled water containers end up in the trash and not in a recycling container.4

• Print to PDF instead of paper: Print any electronic document — Word docs,

spreadsheets and web pages — to a PDF that can be saved on a computer

and distributed electronically.

• Use print preview: Adjust document formatting (font size, margins, etc.) to fit

more on a single page.

• Use email rules: This allows you to automatically route emails into a folder you specify in your

mailbox. This will alleviate the need to print emails to hardcopy.

• Keep electronic documents electronic: Upwards of 90% of documents that are “born” digitally

stay digital. (Just don’t print!)

• Rules-based printing: Send larger jobs to the most efficient and cost-effective

printer. General rule of thumb: The larger the printer, the less it costs per page to

print.

• Enforce mandatory black & white and duplexing/double-sided printing: For

“non-essential” documents (or 2-up/4-up per page).

• Energy Star™: Always buy Energy Star Certified equipment.

• Purchase “green” office products: Paper, stationary and toner

• Use a dual monitor setup: Most people reduce their amount of printing and

increase productivity.

• Digitize and automate business forms: For example, use PDFs with type fields.

• Set up an intranet: Host information you

need to share, and create simple

web forms.

• House documents electronically:

Make use of shared network drives

(network attached storage) or

document/content management systems.

• Use FTP services: Transfer larger electronic files to eliminate the need to wastefully

create CDs or DVDs

• Check out: YouSendIt, Dropbox andBox.net

• Web conferencing services: Use these services to reduce travel time and expenses.

• Check out: BigMarker, AnyMeeting

and Vyew

• Bottom line: Share information electronically.

Forward email attachments, links to

websites, etc., instead of printing.

• “Power down” all devices: When not in use, turn off electronic devices or set

them in sleep mode. This includes mail equipment, printers, copiers and

multifunction devices.

• Turn off all computers overnight: Or place in sleep or hibernate

mode.

• Energy conservation mode: Implement this mode on all available

equipment.

• Unplugging equipment when it’s not in use is ideal.

• Check it out: AC power adapters and cords still use

energy when plugged in, even if the device they power is

not turned on.

• Turn off all lights overnight in any facility where this is permitted (including

conference rooms).

• Avoid using incandescent bulbs: These are commonly found in desk lamps.

Instead rely more on compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), commonly used in office

buildings.

• Check it out: CFLs use three to four times less power than

incandescent lamps of equivalent brightness.

(Source: U.S. Department of Energy)

• Encourage the use of washable utensils, plates, etc. over single-use items.

• Make sure all clean plastic and Styrofoam, plates cups, and utensils

are recycled, as well as aluminum cans

• Rinse out glass and plastic containers with water prior to placing them

in the recycling stream.

• Rinse off any food/grease stains from plastic plates prior to placing

them in the recycling stream.

• Food byproducts that are excessively stained or soaked in grease

(e.g. pizza box) should not be recycled.

• Refrain from idling vehicles for too long: Generally,

less gas is wasted when the engine is turned off and

on again.

• Scheduled maintenance checks: Ensure these are

conducted regularly for peak performance. They should

include consistent oil changes and keeping tires to correct

pressure inflation.

• Keep exterior doors and loading dock gates closed: Prevent large amounts of heat or A/C

from escaping to keep the temperature stable.

• Close window blinds: This helps reduce the temperature from direct sunlight. (Keep blinds

open in winter to attract heat from sunlight.)

• Display green office signs: Label

recycling bin locations and more to

direct employees where to dispose of

items properly.

• Recycle all materials correctly:

Especially cardboard and plastics.

• Recycle or shred all printed pages: Ensure the destruction company

recycles shredded paper — most do.

• Reuse “good conditioned” materials: Paper boxes, pallets, and shipping

and packing materials.

• Put recycling bins in your facility: Place them in clearly visible areas,

especially by printers.

Two often overlooked areas that provide easy and measureable

savings:

• Printing

• Energy Waste

Item Conservative Estimates

$ Low – high / median

1 LaserJet – toner print cost per page (B&W) $0.017 - 0.03 / 0.0235

2 LaserJet – avg. toner cartridge (yields 600-1K pages4) $19.99 – 38.99 / 29.49

3 Paper – cost per page (letter size) $0.006 – 0.0116 / 0.0088

Copy Machine/MFP – print cost per page (B&W) $0.013 - 0.021 / .0017

Calculations on next slide

Total Cost per page printed =

1 toner print cost per page + 3 paper cost per page +

(2 new cartridge ÷ 4avg. yield per cartridge)

$0.0235 toner cost + $0.0088 paper cost + ($29.49 toner ÷ 800 pages) =

0.0235 + 0.0088 + 0.0369 = $0.0692

Item

U.S. Average

September 2011

Electricity per kWh $0.135

Utility (piped) gas per therm 1.063

Gasoline per gallon 3.664

wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh = cost of electricity

Examples on next slide

Lighting

30 - CFL Blubs x 25 watts x 14 hours ÷

1000

x $0.135/kWh = $1.42/night

$517.39/year

2 - incandescent bulbs x 100 watts x 14 hours ÷

1000

x $0.135/kWh = $0.38/night

$137.97/year

Computers

Desktop PC X 73 watts X 14 hours ÷

1000

x $0.135/kWh = $0.14/night

$51.10/year

Copiers/MFPs

55-60 page per minute

model

X 2000

Watts (standby)

X 14 hours ÷

1000

x $0.135/kWh = $3.78/night

$1,379.70/year

LaserJet Printers

30 page per min.

model

X 28.5 watts (standby)

X 14 hours ÷

1000

x $0.135/kWh = $0.05/night

$19.66/year

50+ page per min.

model

X 203 watts (standby)

X 14 hours ÷

1000

x $0.135/kWh = $0.38/night

$140.04/year

wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh = cost of electricity 1 night = 14 hours (est.) US kWh Average = $0.0135

Unplug before you leave: Green your life:

Wi-Fi router

Coffee maker

TV and cable boxes not

turned fully off

Game console(s)

Cell phones chargers

Lights and fans

AC units

Space heaters

Unused AC adaptors left

plugged in

Take public transit, or other modes

of non-CO2 producing transit (bike,

walk)

Keep car tires fully inflated and oil

changed at recommended intervals

Participate in e-billing and process

electronic payments online (PDF the

receipt)

Use a water filtration system or

a filtered water bottle instead of

buying bottled water

Average lifespan of

1 Tap Water Filter =

12.5 x 1 case of 24 bottles

= 300 bottles

1. “The Top Three Right Ways to Go Green: Save the environment and save.” 2009.

Accessed via: www.aiim.org/green-ecm

2. Conservatree.org. How much paper can be made from a tree? Accessed via:

http://conservatree.org/learn/EnviroIssues/TreeStats.shtml

3. Gleick, P.H, Cooley, H.S. Energy Implications of Bottled Water. February 19, 2009. The

Pacific Institute.

Page 6.

4. IBWA. IBWA Rebuts Misleading and Factually Incorrect Video about Bottled Water.

Alexandria, Va.

March 22, 2010.

• Locate recycling centers for different types of materials: www.earth911.com

• Information on average energy usage of household items: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html

• Information about recycling batteries: www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/battery.htm

www.earth911.com/recycling/hazardous/single-use-batteries/

• Information about recycling light bulbs: http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/

http://earth911.com/recycling/household/light-bulbs/

• Information about donating or recycling computers:

http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htm

• 11 Step Guide to Develop a Waste Management Program for Business:

http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/businesses/reduce-reuse-recycle/11-step-guide

• U.S. Department of Energy – Office Checklist and Sustainability Tips:

www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/etipsoffice.pdf

www.energysavers.gov/your_workplace/

MCS Management Services is a leading provider of on-site business support services, including

mail center operations, shipping and receiving, records management, document and print center

management, in-house litigation support, managed print services and related professional services.

Over 30 Years of Business Support Experience

Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBENC)

96% Client Retention Rate since 1993

Senior management team of experts has an average tenure of over 15 years