We waste too much paper here at Millsaps College. Some examples of how we waste paper are:
These unnecessary uses of paper in the library can be easily prevented by purchasing printers that can reuse cover sheets as recycled paper. Cover sheets for every document that is printed are really unnecessary and eliminating the use of them overall would be more beneficial. To identify whose document it is, the last name should be printed on the bottom of the sheet instead of using an entire page. As for required print-offs for classes, teachers should allow and encourage the use of laptops during their class. Doing this would save hundreds of sheets of paper daily. It is understandable that the school does not want laptops in class because of recreational Internet use but there are many ways that this can be prevented. Having students sign a technology agreement, similar to the Honor Code, at the beginning of the year would give the school rights to monitor the internet.
Much of the enrollment and registration process at Millsaps is still completed with paper. This year was the first year that the school has implemented an electronic registration system and it worked very well. This process of electronic registration for classes along with electronic enrollment should become regular. Many textbooks today are available online. Encouraging students to use these online textbooks versus buying hard copies them would help reduce the overall paper consumption. Using online textbooks would also be much cheaper. If Millsaps were to incorporate the awareness of paper consumption into the liberal art education, there would not only be a general recognition of how much we waste, but the school would save money on paper. This would forward the progress towards becoming a more sustainable campus.
Contact person: Kenya Strong Johnson
For a PDF of the proposal, click here.
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