The following is the first in a regular series of tips dedicated to sustainability. This week's tip deals with reducing paper waste.
Saving paper is easier than you think. The first step is to print only what you need – but if you do need to print a document, simply adjust your margins and double side your printing and you can reduce your paper use by as much as 60 per cent. You can achieve this through a series of simple steps.
Change your margins to "narrow".
In Microsoft Office Suite, (Word and Excel) click on the "Page Layout" tab, click on "margins" and then select "narrow".
Set your printer default to duplex (double-sided)
For simple instructions on how to set your printer to duplex in various programs, University Information Technology has easy-to-understand instructions on their Faculty and Staff Computing web page.
Remember, even if you set your printer default to double-sided, you can still print single-sided at any time. All you have to do is change your printer properties to single-sided before you print.
Pack a litterless lunch
Pack a litterless lunch by using reusable containers, a lunch bag or box, reusable cutlery and a reusable water bottle or thermos. By using durable and washable containers and cutlery, you can reduce the amount of waste that you create. Multiplied by hundreds of days in year and thousands of people in the York community, your litterless lunch can prevent a significant amount of waste from going into the landfill or recycling.
Do you have any green tips to share? E-mail sustainability@yorku.ca and your idea could be featured in a Green Tip of the Week.