Paper Campaign

The "paperless office" promised by the computer revolution has not materialized. In fact, annual consumption of office paper has nearly doubled since 1980, and it represents one of the fastest-growing components of the nation's waste stream.

Here at Iona, we have observed an increase in the use of paper in copiers, printers and computer labs. Preliminary research revealed that much of this usage may be unnecessary or accidental (e.g., one-sided copying instead of back-to-back; printing more pages or copies than expected, etc.).

In an effort to reduce the environmental and financial impact of paper waste at Iona, the Environmental Concerns Committee, IT Department and Ryan Library launched a campus-wide Paper Conservation Campaign in January 2002. As an added incentive for students, faculty, staff and administrators to adopt a culture of conservation and waste prevention, the project was registered with the National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Program.

Iona was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for its Paper Conservation Campaign for 2002 and 2003. The case study can be found in the online NWF Campus Environmental Yearbook.