RSSNew software to reduce paper waste
By Sarah Freeman
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News
The program is not a quick fix, LTS staff member Jason Slipp said.
"Technology can't solve our problems with printing, but it will help curb it," Slipp said. People must be willing to take the initiative to make the change, he said.
LTS staff members were the first to test the software. For six weeks, four people printed using only GreenPrint. They decreased their paper usage by 20 percent. After LTS' trial period, the software was installed in the media center. After one week, 1500 pages were printed and 5 percent was saved. This adds up to a savings of about $5.
A slow start is expected because users must adjust to the new program.
"It has to be a cultural change, not so much a technology change," Slipp said.
The students using GreenPrint software in the media center appreciate the green initiative but have already noticed some weaknesses.
Allison Russell, '08, recognizes the need to economize and believes in the benefits of the program. However, she noticed the program automatically eliminates pages with less than five lines, and students ended up printing more in an effort to get the entire document to print. Russell believes that the program should allow more options when choosing what not to print.
Slipp said this issue can be addressed by better informing students about how the program works. For example, by double-clicking the page in the GreenPrint preview, a student can "un-delete" it. By receiving student input such as this Lehigh can help improve the next version of the software, he said.
According to LTS Director Sharon Wiles-Young, Lehigh chose the GreenPrint program over other similar software because of its practical and educational value.
"We went to GreenPrint to start looking at an educational model so students can see exactly what they are printing and how they can save," Wiles-Young said.
The goal is that GreenPrint will save enough paper over time to benefit Lehigh and make a positive impact on the environment. Less printing not only means less paper used but also less ink, which costs twice as much as paper.
Lehigh is one of only a handful of colleges currently using the software. GreenPrint was originally designed for Fortune 500 companies.
In the meantime, Lehigh is trying to lessen the printing problem by increasing the amount of recycled paper in university printers, Wiles-Young said. Only 35 percent of printer paper is recycled, but some offices on campus have increased to 100 percent recycled paper.
Wiles-Young is also working with faculty members to eliminate waste by decreasing margin requirements, which allows more to be printed on fewer pages. She also wants to encourage students to reuse paper that printed blank.
In the meantime students can download the software for their own computers. The 30-day trial is free, and the full program costs $35, which is 50 percent off the regular price because it is being used at an institute for higher education. The software has been featured on CNBC and in the Wall Street Journal.
"Technology can't solve our problems with printing, but it will help curb it," Slipp said. People must be willing to take the initiative to make the change, he said.
LTS staff members were the first to test the software. For six weeks, four people printed using only GreenPrint. They decreased their paper usage by 20 percent. After LTS' trial period, the software was installed in the media center. After one week, 1500 pages were printed and 5 percent was saved. This adds up to a savings of about $5.
A slow start is expected because users must adjust to the new program.
"It has to be a cultural change, not so much a technology change," Slipp said.
The students using GreenPrint software in the media center appreciate the green initiative but have already noticed some weaknesses.
Allison Russell, '08, recognizes the need to economize and believes in the benefits of the program. However, she noticed the program automatically eliminates pages with less than five lines, and students ended up printing more in an effort to get the entire document to print. Russell believes that the program should allow more options when choosing what not to print.
Slipp said this issue can be addressed by better informing students about how the program works. For example, by double-clicking the page in the GreenPrint preview, a student can "un-delete" it. By receiving student input such as this Lehigh can help improve the next version of the software, he said.
According to LTS Director Sharon Wiles-Young, Lehigh chose the GreenPrint program over other similar software because of its practical and educational value.
"We went to GreenPrint to start looking at an educational model so students can see exactly what they are printing and how they can save," Wiles-Young said.
The goal is that GreenPrint will save enough paper over time to benefit Lehigh and make a positive impact on the environment. Less printing not only means less paper used but also less ink, which costs twice as much as paper.
Lehigh is one of only a handful of colleges currently using the software. GreenPrint was originally designed for Fortune 500 companies.
In the meantime, Lehigh is trying to lessen the printing problem by increasing the amount of recycled paper in university printers, Wiles-Young said. Only 35 percent of printer paper is recycled, but some offices on campus have increased to 100 percent recycled paper.
Wiles-Young is also working with faculty members to eliminate waste by decreasing margin requirements, which allows more to be printed on fewer pages. She also wants to encourage students to reuse paper that printed blank.
In the meantime students can download the software for their own computers. The 30-day trial is free, and the full program costs $35, which is 50 percent off the regular price because it is being used at an institute for higher education. The software has been featured on CNBC and in the Wall Street Journal.
