PaperlessKitchen Blog

Social Security Goes Paperless

2013 has brought many changes to the U.S. Social Security system, and these go beyond the increase in Social Security taxes that most Americans are noticing in their paychecks.

 This year, the Social Security Administration is transitioning to a completely paperless system. The motivation behind the change is two-fold. By eliminating the use of paper, the administration stands to save $70 million each year and improve efficiency in the process. Plus, the reduction in paper waste will have a profoundly positive environmental impact.

 If you currently receive paper Social Security statements by mail, you can expect those to stop. You can still monitor your contributions and coverage, however, using the SSA's online site. Once you register, you can view and print the statements with the My Social Security service.

The second major impact of the SSA's new paperless policy is the discontinuation of paper checks. Currently, about 5 million paper checks are mailed to American seniors and disabled citizens each month. Now, these payments will be made by direct deposit. Seniors have until March 1 to contact social security to provide bank account information and continue receiving payments without delays.

If you, a parent or other family member is still receiving paper checks, you can make the change easily on the SSA website, by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or by completing and mailing in a form. 

Direct deposits for social security are typically issued on the same day that current checks are mailed and are usually available anywhere from immediately or up to 24 hours after the date of deposit. For more information, about the move to a paperless Social Security System, visit the SSA site.

Benefits of Paperless Performance Reviews

 This is the time of year when many companies conduct performance reviews as a part of determining pay increases and annual bonuses. The traditional performance review is paper-based with employers, managers and HR departments each getting a paper copy.

 Switching to paperless performance reviews can add up to a major reduction in paper waste and costs for paper, toner and printer cartridges, particularly at large companies. There are some other great benefits to going paperless with your employee reviews.

 ·      Increased confidentiality Paperless performance reviews eliminate the risk of someone discovering a review left sitting on a printer or out on a desk.

 ·      Faster process Many of the software programs that are available for creating paperless performance reviews allow HR departments or management to create forms that greatly shorten the length of time needed to write reviews.

 ·      Simple changes and commenting. If a last minute change is necessary prior to a performance review, an electronic form can be amended or edited very quickly without the need to reprint (and waste more paper). At companies that require or permit employees to leave comments on their own performance, these can be easily added to electronic document.

 ·      Easier record-keeping Employees and HR departments can easily retain copies of their performance reviews on their computers.

 There are several software programs and web-based services that can help you create paperless reviews, including:

 Halogen eAppraisal

TrakStar

BlueAppraisals 

WingSpan

TalentGuard 

Paperless Kitchen wants to know: Does your company use paperless performance appraisals? What are your thoughts on the process? If you own the company, what system do you use?

WILL HOSPITALS GO PAPERLESS?

The health care industry is one of the biggest consumers of paper in the United States, and it's easy to see why. Doctors and hospitals continue to collect information on paper-based forms, and paper medical records are still the industry norm. The Salary Reporter estimates that medical records average around 50 pages of paper in length, while some can be as many 600 pages long.

 Not only is all that paper wasteful for the environment, but it's also not as secure as electronic records. What's more, paper medical records can be wiped out in a fire or flood, and they require doctors and hospitals to relegate a large amount of space to store them. Electronic medical records allow for easier sharing of data between doctors, hospitals and specialists and can reduce the risk of medical errors and ensure that patients receive a higher level of quality care.

 The federal government has taken some steps to limit the amount of paper used in the health care industry with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. Under the law, hospitals that don't implement paperless systems by 2015 could face penalties in the form of reduced Medicare reimbursements.

 It's still not clear if the law will have the desired effects. A recent report described in "Forbes" magazine shows that less than 2 percent of the hospitals in the United States have transitioned to paperless record-keeping, and just another 20 percent are in the final stages of implementing such systems.

 Still, every hospital that commits to a paperless system will make a difference in reducing paper waste. We'll be sure to follow the story of the effects of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and keep you all up to date with the latest data.

Google, HelloFax and Others Urge You to Go Paperless

It's no secret that paper waste is a serious problem for businesses, but a recent infographic from The Salary Reporter, really put the issue into perspective for me both in terms of the environmental impact of paper waste and the impact on company profits. Some of the revealing facts that it presents include:

 - 5.26 million tons of paper waste were generated by U.S. companies in 2010 alone, that's the weight equivalent to 23,377 Statue of Liberty statues

 - Most office workers use 10,000 sheets of paper per year, which adds up to a cost of around $80 per employee per year.

 - Filling the equivalent of just 1TB hard drive with electronic data instead of using printed material can save up to 50,000 trees per year

 Awareness of the impact of businesses' paper waste is growing, and in 2013, a new corporate coalition has formed to help spread the word and urge companies to take steps to reduce the amount of paper they use. Called, Paperless 2013, this group is encouraging companies everywhere to take a pledge to go paperless this year.

 The Paperless 2013 Coalition is made up of seven companies and services that offer paper alternatives to companies, including:

·      Google Drive, which provides cloud storage

·      HelloFax, a paperless, e-mail based fax service

·      Manilla, a service for e-billing management

·      HelloSign, a method of collection signatures electronically

·      Expensify, a website for creating paperless expense reports

·      Xero, which offers paperless accounting services

·      Fujitsu ScanSnap, a manufacturer of scanners for paper-to-electronic conversion

 You can take the paperless pledge at the Paperless 2013 website. Once you make the pledge, you'll be signed up to receive monthly tips from the members of the coalition.

George Washington University Institutes Green Procurement Policy

 As you can imagine, universities use an incredible amount of paper, and George Washington University is no exception. The university recently completed a self-study that examined its paper use and extrapolated the environmental impact of the institution's paper consumption.

The findings of the study concluded that:

-       4,108 cases of paper were used during 2012 and that more than half of that was not recycled content paper

-       By using only recycled paper, the university would have

o   Saved 121 tons of wood

o   Prevented 43 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere

o   Conserved 430,034 gallons of water

Here at Paperless Kitchen, we admire George Washington University for conducting this study and for publicly publishing its results. The institution's commitment to understanding its environmental impact is admirable enough, and we are even more impressed that the university has taken significant steps to make a change for the better.

The university has developed the George Washington Ecosystems Enhancement Strategy, which now makes buying only recycled paper a standard, expected practice. This immediate change is supported by the university's commitment to implement green procurement practices for electronics and water by 2015.

With more than 24,000 enrolled students and 7,000 employees, George Washington University is a large organization with complex needs, yet the university was still able to evaluate the size of its eco-footprint and take steps to reduce its size.

Now that 2013 is upon us, we hope that companies and institutions of all sizes from single proprietors to multimillion-dollar corporations will follow GW's lead and examine their own procurement strategies to make green improvements.

Has your company taken steps to protect the planet? If so, we'd love to hear about it in the comments section!

How to Cut Down on Wrapping Paper Waste

Along with joy and fun, the holiday season also brings with it a large amount of waste. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the United States produces 6 million tons of trash in addition to the average amount of waste generated by Americans. One of the largest contributors to all of that extra trash is gift giving, which creates a huge amount of paper waste. 

To make your holidays a little greener, here are some ways to reduce gift wrap waste and decrease the size of your eco footprint during the holiday season. 

- Give gifts that don't require wrapping. When you buy gift cards or tickets to sporting, theater and music events, you can give your gift in a recycled paper greeting card. Also, consider giving gifts in open baskets, which can be reused rather than thrown away.

- Wrap your gift in a gift! Use scarves, dish towels, socks and other inexpensive cloth items to wrap your gifts, and you'll be giving your friends and family two gifts at once.

 - Stuff stockings. For your family gift exchange this year, recommend that everyone purchase stocking stuffers and leave them unwrapped, using only a gift tag or piece of scrap paper as a tag. Then, you can hang your stockings when you gather for the holidays, fill them and enjoy the fun of discovering what’s stuffed inside.

 - Use nontraditional wrapping paper. Kraft paper, newsprint, used tissue paper, cloth scraps and other items can all make unique homemade wrapping paper.

 - Purchase wrapping paper made from recycled paper and seed paper gift tags. If you must buy wrapping supplies this year, opt for greener choices.

 - Don't throw away wrapping paper scraps. Use this neat pattern to turn the scraps into a bow.

- Open carefully. If you open up your gifts gingerly, you can often save the wrapping paper to use next year.

Some Paperless Motivation

No matter how many great paper towel replacements you find or recycling centers that you locate in your local area, there's no denying that moving to a paperless lifestyle requires work. By learning more about ways to reduce your paper waste, you can make the task easier, but the entire reason that paper towels, paper plates and other paper products exist in the first place is because they are convenient. In my own quest to live a greener life, I sometimes find myself tempted to take the easy route, and when I talk to friends, I realize that I'm not alone in this.

That's why I wanted to take a few moments and post some statistics that help me remember the importance of reducing my own paper waste. Sometimes all it takes is a reminder that even my small changes can make a difference when it comes to protecting our planet.

- Each year, Americans use roughly 734 pounds of paper each, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. By recycling just 119 pounds of newspaper, you can save just one tree, reports Government of Canada's Digital Collections. Even small changes like consistently avoiding one type of paper product or recycling all of the old newspapers and magazines around your home can have a huge impact.

- "When paper rots or is composted it emits methane gas which is 25 times more toxic than CO2," shares the International Institute for Environment and Development. When you don't add paper to your trash, you're not just helping to prevent over-crowding in landfills; you're also protecting the quality of the air we breathe.

- Around 30 to 40 percent of trash is packaging, explains the Cornell Waste Management Institute. That's not paper waste--that's total trash! By choosing products that use eco-friendly packaging, you're making a huge impact on the amount of toxin-producing garbage that sits in our landfills.

What's your paperless motivation? Statistics like these? Thoughts of future generations? Something else entirely? Share it with us in the Comments section