by
Dr. John Vann, Department of Marketing
Green Initiatives Coordinator
September 2002
There's great news at Ball State. Profiles is now on-line and the Faculty and Professional Personnel Handbook (FPPH) is next. This facilitates the update of information and provides convenient access for users. It also will save money. The paper and printing costs for the last complete FPPH totaled $12,000.
However, there are also tremendous environmental savings. The last complete FPPH required almost exactly one ton, or 400 reams of paper. Stacked one on top of the other, these reams would create a pile 83.5 ft. tall and, according to Conservatree.com, would require the cutting of 24 trees (16.8 if 30% post-consumer recycled paper were used).
The Web-Based Paper Calculator, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, U.S. EPA, and Environmental Defense, highlights some additional environmental benefits. Assuming that the next FPPH would have been printed on 30% post-consumer content recycled paper, the following life-cycle savings will be realized:
33 million BTUs of energy (15 million fossil-fuel derived); 2.5 tons of net greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalents); 17 pounds of nitrogen oxides; 26 pounds of sulfur oxides; 10 pounds of particulates; over 4 pounds of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and over 17,000 gallons of effluents.
Kudos to the decision-makers who made this possible!!!