PaperlessKitchen Blog

Find Greener Paper with the Ecopaper Database

We've discussed establishing paperless workplaces a lot in the past, and as we've pointed out, it can be difficult to eliminate paper completely in some industries. If your business can't completely phase out paper, you can still keep your eco footprint small by using the greenest papers available.

 

But how do you find the perfect green paper?  The Ecopaper Database is the solution.

 

The Ecopaper Database from Canopy is a listing of the most eco-friendly papers that are currently available. When selecting papers to include in the list, Canopy uses the Paper Steps that we discussed in our last blog post. Only those that pass the test and that are produced by mills with reputations for making strides for sustainability make the cut and end up in the database.

 

Not just for copy paper, the database provides listings for book, magazine and newspaper publishers' paper needs, packaging supplies, stationery, office supplies, board paper and molded fiber products, which are items like our green disposables.

 

The Ecopaper Database is free to use for consumers and for businesses. You can access it right here:

 

http://www.canopyplanet.org/EPD/

 

               

 

 

The Paper Steps: Ways to Shop for Paper

Nowadays, there are so many copy papers that say they are "eco friendly," "green," "Earth friendly" and so on. In the United States, these terms don't have any specific meaning, as their use is not regulated. As a result, people often buy all types of products, not just paper, and end up with something less green than they thought.

 

The Environmental Paper Network is committed to helping people make better choices about the papers that they buy and has put together a helpful guide to choosing paper called "The Paper Steps." When you shop for paper, you can refer to the guide to make your choice. The guide has four types of paper:

 

- Environmentally Superior Paper - The most eco-friendly and the preferred first choice.

 

- Environmentally Improved Paper - An eco responsible product that can be used when an Environmentally Superior Paper is not available.

 

- Transitional Paper - A paper that is mediocre in terms of its sustainability that should only be purchased with other types are not available.

 

- Environmentally Inferior Paper - Not eco conscious and to be avoided whenever possible

 

You can see the full guide here at whatsinyourpaper.com.

                 

 

 

General Motors Manufacturing Plant Goes Landfill Free

Many businesses are struggling to reduce the amount of waste that they produce and dealing with many obstacles along the way. A recent press release shows the importance of not giving up on the goal of being waste-free, as it explains how a large manufacturing facility in Rochester, New York, managed to go completely paperless. That's quite a feat for 1.7 million square foot facility.

It took an effort over 4 years to finally eliminate all landfill-bound waste from the facility and required the teamwork of every employee. Some of the changes the company implemented to reach its goal were quite simple. For instance, management moved the location of recycling bins to make them more accessible in office areas, on the shop floor and outside in dumpster areas.

The company also did an excellent job of communicating with employees about what the benefits of their waste reduction efforts are. They shared information about how much the company saved by recycling. In addition, they showed employees profiles about the various recycling facilities that accepted their paper, cardboard and other recyclable waste. The training and communications helped to get everyone on board.

While GM did have to invest in the development of new technologies to eliminate much of their industrial waste, many of the changes the company made could be easily implemented at your business or any other in the country.

                                              

EverNote, Other Technologies Named Paperless Office Essentials

In early October, Paul Mah wrote a very informative article for PCWorld discussing the paperless office. Although brief, the piece, "Ultimate guide to the paperless office" discusses some of the key areas in which companies can cut back on paper consumption.

 

Each section of the article provides suggestions about various technologies and devices that can be used to make the paperless workplace a reality. The entire piece is an excellent read, but I was especially interested in the section on note taking.

 

Here, Mah points out the benefits of EverNote, a popular app for tablets and smart phones that takes all of the capabilities of note taking and transforms them into a one simple-to-use program. We have recently been reviewing the app ourselves and will be launching a series on it during the month of November.

 

You can check out EverNote yourself in the meantime, and be sure to head over to PCWorld to check out the rest of the piece and get some great paperless workplace tips.

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The NOAA Goes Paperless

 

In the past, we've discussed federal and state governments making pushes to go paperless. Now, we can add anwill stop producing paper nautother agency to the list of those making a push for greener operations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will stop producing nautical charts in April 2014.

         

                                                      Vintage nautical map of Boston Harbor

 

Each year, about 60,000 lithographic paper maps are sold by the NOAA; however, the administration believes that many of these are used as ceremonial or decorative items instead for actual navigation in many cases. Most ships now prefer the use of the digital versions of the nautical maps released by the agency.

 

Since each map measures 4-feet by 3-feet in size, the paper savings from this move to all digital mapping will save at least 720,000 square feet of paper, enough paper to cover the floor of the White House more than 13 times. Although some are disappointed at not being able to purchase the charts on an annual basis, there's no question that this new policy will be a change for the greener.

 

                              

 

Mobile Apps Are Helping Offices Go Paperless

                                                    

As we've talked about in previous blog posts, moving toward a more paperless workplace offers numerous benefits for businesses, but many companies are struggling to implement procedures and policies that can make a paperless workplace a reality. A recent article on Forbes.com discussed how some companies are using mobile apps to cut down on paper use.

 

At many companies across America, tablets and smart phones are used on a daily basis to help teams communicate with one another at different work sites and while traveling. Now, many companies are having custom mobile apps developed that allow employees to fill out forms, submit reports and complete other tasks that would traditionally be performed on paper. The apps streamline communication while saving paper, and over time, can save companies money.

 

The article provided one example of a home health care service that requires employees to submit paper-based reports after every client appointment. By making the process automated through a custom-made smart phone and tablet app, the company has been able to reduce costs by $200,000 per year.

 

For companies that are interested in having custom apps built, there are a wide variety of design firms that can assist. They range from small businesses to large corporations. Many specialize in creating apps for companies in specific industries. Check out the full article on Forbes.com here and let us know what you think in the "Comments" section.

 

Free Tool Helps You Select the Most Eco-Friendly Paper

Even if you're committed to reducing paper usage as much as possible, it's not always possible to eliminate paper completely. If paper must continue to play a role in your business, finding the type with the smallest environmental impact can help you stay in line with your eco-conscious while still meeting the needs of your business.

 

The Paper Calculator from the Environmental Paper Network is a free tool designed to help you make the best possible decisions about the paper that you use. The calculator makes it simple to compare different grades and brands of paper to find the ones that have the smallest eco-footprint, taking into account its percentage of recycled content and its manufacturing methods.

 

The calculator also creates a report that details the findings and fully explains the environmental impact of making various paper choices. The tool is free to use, but you must register and agree to cite the calculator when you present any of the findings from the app.

To try out The Paper Calculator, visit the Environmental Paper Network's website.

Once you have, stop back and tell us what you learned in the "Comments" section.

The Problems of Paperless Medical Records

 

Last week, NPR ran a story about the difficulties that doctors face when trying to transition to a paperless office. The report highlights the need for increased governmental guidance or independent consultants to assist doctors with making the switch to electronic record-keeping.

 

Currently, the federal government is offering tax benefits for doctors to move from paper to computer-based records; however, many physicians are finding that the transition is not simple. Even those who are concerned about the planet or who would like the tax break quickly begin to rethink the process once they begin.

 

Part of the problem is that the huge number of electronic record keeping systems that is available. With more than 1,000 programs being sold by various software companies, doctors struggle to find the best one for their needs. Many simply don't have time to review all of the possibilities with their already hectic schedules.

 

Another problem is external paper use that doctors cannot eliminate on their own. One physician interviewed stated that he received hundreds of paper faxes every day from insurance companies, pharmacies and even third-party businesses trying to sell products and services. While the latter are not instrumental to business, these other faxes are integral to day-to-day operations. Until the companies with which doctors must communicate also transition to an entirely paperless system, practices will still have waste with which to deal.

 

The articles was encouraging, however, as it evidences the desire of physicians to give up paper as much as possible. We can only hope that these trends will continue with a greater and greater reduction in paper consumption as a result.

Paperless Medical Records and Your State

 A few weeks ago, Bloomberg released a report showing the prevalence of the use of paperless medical records around the country. The in-depth report examined how each state and Washington, D.C. stacked up against the national average for paperless recordkeeping, which is currently 39.6 percent.

 

The top five states and their respective paperless medical records percentage, according to the survey, were Wisconsin at 70.6 percent, Minnesota at 66.7 percent, North Dakota at 63.2 percent, Massachusetts at 61.8 percent and Utah at 60.8 percent. The areas with the smallest percentages of paperless recordkeeping were the District of Columbia at 22.4 percent, Louisiana at 25 percent, Connecticut and New Jersey at 26.9 percent and Kentucky at 27.2 percent.

 

So why should we care where our states fall in the Bloomberg report?

 

Paperless medical recordkeeping is not only good for the planet, but it also helps to decrease the likelihood of medical errors. This can protect people from malpractice, which can help to keep health care costs to a minimum. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health passed in 2009 mandates that hospitals make the shift to paperless recordkeeping, but most private practices are not required to comply.

 

If you're concerned about digital recordkeeping, start by talking to the office manager at your own doctor's office. Find out if the practice is completely paperless and express your views about the issue. The more people speak up to their medical providers, the more likely doctors will be to listen. Also, you can contact your state medical board and express your views. With the encouragement of the state boards, doctors may be more willing to make the shift to paperless systems. You can find the address, phone number and website on the State Federation of Medical Boards' website. 

Going Paperless in the Office - Fax Paper Waste

Each year more than 210 billion sheets of paper are used in fax machines in the United States alone, according to Tech Soup. The impact that all that paper has on the planet is profound when you consider that the faxing needs of an average-sized company in the United States requires four full-grown trees worth of paper.

Clearly, cutting back on faxing is one of the most important ways that you can bring the paperless revolution to your workplace. Here's some tips on ways to reduce faxing paper waste.

1. Sign up for an Internet faxing service. If you only fax a few items per day, you can take advantage of Fax Zero, which will allow you to upload and fax 5 documents every 24 hours. This cuts back on the number of fax confirmations forms that print from your machine. Other pay services allow you to both send and receive faxes through your email, so that you can print only the documents that you really need to have in paper form.

2. Ditch the fax cover sheets. Whenever possible, don't send along a cover sheet. If you know the receiver is expecting your fax, ask them if it's alright if you don't include one so that you can cut back on paper waste. As an added bonus, this may make them start to think about the impact of the paper waste associated with faxing.

3. Convert to one-page memos. In some companies, memos have to be sent via fax rather than email. If you're not already using one, create a document that has a space for your name, the date and the subject of the memo in a header with room at the bottom to type your message.

4. Learn to create PDFs. Programs like Adobe make creating PDF documents incredibly easy. Once you learn how to make a PDF, you'll find that there's many times that you can email something to a contact instead of relying on the fax machine.

5. Recycle! Sometimes you just won't be able to avoid sending or receiving a fax, so be sure to recycle all of the unneeded paper that makes its way across your fax machine, as well as the other used paper in your office. If you don't have one, invest in a shredder so that even private documents can be properly recycled.

How do you cut back on faxing at work? Any other thoughts on how to go paperless in your office? Share your ideas with us!