Paper consumptions has almost tripled since the year 1960 and in spite of global warming, people are using papers aggressively in their daily routines. It is to be estimated that over 2500 trees are shredded to provide 10 million pages. The need of the hour is to go paperless and that is for sure. Following are the environmental impacts that arises due to paper usage, have a look!

• Chopping down trees decreases the amount of oxygen in the ecosystem, thus adversely affecting all other life-forms
• In paper and pulp industries, not only is energy being used, but copious other harmful gases are released into the atmosphere
• Transportation of paper documents via air, road, rail and other transportation mediums lead to a greater release of greenhouse gasses
• Toner and ink cartridges comprise of hazardous materials which also adversely affect the environment

Now that you are aware of the environmental impacts of using paper, let’s have a look at the benefits of going paperless at home and the office.

• Going paperless will reduce CO2 emissions, which means a better environment for us and future generations.
• Therain-forestscan be conserved, which arerapidlybeing eliminated at a shocking rate of 4,281 acres every hour.
  • A single tree produces enough oxygen everyday to support at least 2 human beings.
• A lot of fuel for the transportation of paper documents can be saved if we all go paperless. This way, we can prevent the harmful impact of chemical gases originated from automobiles.

How to reduce paper usage in home & office?

• Think twice before you print.
  • If you can forward, share or use the document digitally, do so instead.
  • If you have limited internet access use USB sticks
  • Try to avoid printing single emails or brief texts
  • Use cloud computing to store documents online, instead of printing them out on paper
  • Instead of printing paperwork to sign them, sign documents digitally
• Recycle whatever paper you have, and make the most of it
  • Halve your paper consumption by using both its sides.
  • Ensure all the paper at your workplace is recycled
  • Scan your documents and recycle the hard copies as well
  • Buy recycled paper for you or your business
• Always opt for reusable, or non-paper alternatives
• • Use cloth napkins and towels instead of paper ones
  • User regular plates instead of paper ones
  • Subscribe to online magazines or newspapers instead of their offline versions

So, it is high time we change our habits in order to expect a brighter and more sustainable future for the generations to come!

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