Bryan Beckett 8-23-08
EcoGreenOffice
You are the green leader of the office. You have created a green task force. You have crafted a green mission statement with a list of eco-strategies. The day comes to present your sustainability plan to management and before you can even say post-consumer, recycled paper, your efforts are clouded by: “it costs to much”. “That will negatively effect the bottom line”. “Going green is great but at what costs”.
Instead of ditching your efforts, now is your time to shine. The use of post-consumer recycled paper can actually GREEN your company’s bottom line!
Consumer Demand is Driving Businesses Toward Social Responsibility
This means that if your business is not on the forefront of making green efforts, it will be left behind and then there will not be a bottom line to even consider. Using post-consumer paper does say a lot about a company especially if you quantify your actions! By putting the tangible on something that is intagible you can create instant positive results and will engage the non-interested ones. Your company can save trees, water, landfill space and limit CO2’s just by using post-consumer paper. It is the easiest way to take action.
Monitor and Reduce Use!
Does every person in your office really need a printer? A few xtra steps to a centralized print station may make people think twice before printing unnecessary documents. Additionally, using post-consumer paper will result in reduced use. This is because it is more opaque than virgin paper which means that it is perfect for double side printing. See if you can collect paper purchasing data from accounting over the last 6 months and make it a challenge not only order post-consumer paper but reduce the amount ordered!
Implement a “Green” Printer Cartridge Program
Using “green” printer cartridges will not only save you 10-20% but they also have eco-benefits that can be quantified as well. Avoid the cheap internet cartridge searches by partnering with a specialized “green” cartridge dealer like EcoGreenOffice. You can get custom pricing with all the guarantees of brand new cartridges. A specialized dealer can usually ensure savings on a printer cartridge program which totally offsets the $.0025 increase/page of post-consumer paper.
These three simple strategies will help you overcome the post-consumer recycled paper barriers. Help management understand the big picture and that in the long run, green practices will green the bottom line! Finally, have fun with your green program and create quantifiable challenges for your co-workers.
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