Can the Muppets help you conserve the environment?

Kermit can be very persuasive

Submitted 29/04/2006 By Kelly Views 30819 Comments 5 Updated 3/05/2006


Photographer : Garrette


So, the staff at the Inspire Foundation office are not so great with conserving paper. The amount of stuff that gets printed out unnecessarily, or printed and then forgotten is a bit shameful.

So what to do about it?

I thought I'd try a different approach. No nasty messages above the printer. No terse words at staff meetings. No slamming of offending papers down on perpetrators desks.

Every week I'd put a printed message above the printer. Each week the message was from a different Muppet. It would outline how many pieces of paper were wasted in the last week and calculate if this trend continued, how many trees would have been unnecessarily killed per year. All messages were very friendly and kind - acknowledging how busy everyone was and what great work they were doing. (Muppets are always friendly).

I have been doing this for about a month or so now, unfortunately my analysis of the paper consumption has shown there has been no change, no response. Paper conservation has not improved.

Each week Inspire wastes on average about 60 pieces paper. One tree makes 3,077 pieces of paper. This means Inspire staff are unnecessarily wasting the equivalent of one tree per year.

My conclusion so far is that the Muppets can not help you recycle.

I am not giving up. I'm going to change my approach and keep updating this page on progress.

Let me know if you have any suggestions.


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maddie 04-Sep-2007

I just finished year 12 and was aware of the ridiculous amount of printing and proof reading i did. I took a few different approaches to minimise my wastage.. of paper and INK

1. my printer has a 'fast' or 'draft' setting, which prints with about half the amount of ink - but you can't notice a difference (on my last printer the words were grey.. this one's a bit clever-er)
-it's possible to make your default setting on low - then, when someone is SURE that it's the final copy, they change it to full-on ink in the settings.

-I don't know what your process is. but ink cartridges are up there with mobile phones and such for plastic waste.
it's possible to get your cartridges refilled at a cartridge store (and cheaper).

2. on this ink point. depending on if you have seperate black and colour cartridges, it's good to print in blue or purple when doing drafts - to use up that red ink in your cartridge and reduce wasteage there..

PAPER
3. reprinted on the back of scrap paper/old drafts.. it was handy that the one sided 'scrap' paper box was just above the printer.. the muppets/transformers could helpfully provide and point one out? - a team effort maybe

-these changes would take time to get used to - especially in a busy envronment.. but hey 'even small changes can make a difference'

:)

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Gossy 27-May-2006

Inspire has a whole bunch of working groups that address cross-organisational issues ... perhaps we need an environmental working group?

Maybe a discussion at a staff meeting about the ways it can be done and some big signs over the printer on methods of reducing waste.

Interestingly the idea of double siding to reduce wastage has been ditched because apparently it reduces the life of the printer ... don't think a cost benefit analysis has been done, and has anyone thought about the lives of the trees?

It would also be great for it to come from elsewhere than "Admin" - driven from the users rather than us wielding our baseballl bats?

Last thought and that is around the concept of the Triple Bottom Line, where organisations no longer just report on their financial results but also the impact they have on the environment and the community. We know we are financially responsible, we undoubtedly are good for the community - but is our tripod one leg short to get real balance?

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Mim 05-May-2006

Maybe the muppets should suggest that Inspire staff print two pages per sheet when they can? Sure the font is a bit smaller but it's readable. Maybe staff coud do this when they're printing to proof a doco or to read an article? To use half the paper you click on 'preferences' and then select '2' in the 'pages per sheet' panel.

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MarianneW 05-May-2006

Are these Inspire people insane!!??? Who could resist the Muppets!

For what it's worth, as someone who works in this office, it made me reflect on the wastage...though unfortunately not change my immediate behaviour. Perhaps there needs to be a pop up on your computer every time you try and print that asks you if you're sure and if you want to print 2 pages on one???

Also, is it possible to print on recyled paper?? and/or double sided?

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Pippa 01-May-2006

Maybe you should try recruiting the Transformers (they're more than meets the eye)? They are excellent defenders of the universe against the evil forces of destructacons (read: destructive beings who are also transformers but who are BADDIES) and they also have the capacity for change!

Maybe being nice isn't enough.

Also, have the muppets offered ideas for how to reduce print out wastage or are they just encouraging people to 'not do it'?

Pippa

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