Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008 - (Page 14)

Trends Editor’s Note: Last month, we examined some alternatives for a mail center in the process of renovation. In the ﬁnal part of our series, we stress the importance of the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. GREENING your mail center Part 3: Reduce, reuse, recycle By Vera Angelico E instein’s famous phrase, “We cannot solve problems at the same level of awareness that created them,” is very true for us today. We need to think in diﬀerent ways in order to unravel the serious ecological challenges we are facing. The United States represents less than 5% of the world’s population, but consumes 40% of the world supplies of oil and 23% of the natural gas and coal. As a reminder of how important it is that we become part of the green initiative, here is some data. The impact of buildings in the US on our resources is as follows: • 39% of total energy consumption • 71% of electricity consumption • 39% of CO2 emissions • 30% of raw materials used • 30% of waste output • 12% of potable water consumption 1. REDUCE Energy Waste — Setting your thermostat two degrees diﬀerently can save up to 8% on your power bill. Cities and urban areas are 3°F to 8°F (2°C to 4°C) warmer than surrounding areas as a result of the heat island eﬀect. This temperature diﬀerence is attributed to more buildings and pavements taking the place of trees and vegetation. Trees provide shade that reduces temperatures at the surface. Trees and vegetation give oﬀ water (transpiration) that evaporates and cools their surfaces and the surrounding air. Research has shown that the average temperature of Los Angeles has risen steadily over the past half century and is now 6°F to 7°F (3°C to 4°C) warmer than it was 50 years ago. Water Usage — Did you know that only 3% of the water on earth is freshwater? The rest is saltwater. Only 20% of the world’s population has access to running water, and more than one billion people do not have access to clean water. How privileged we are, living in this country—so let’s reduce water usage as much as we can. 2. REUSE One of the three arrows in the now quite familiar logo stands for reuse. As one of the three Rs, reuse is second in the hierarchy of reduce, reuse and recycle. Reuse can be done in many ways—from construction demolition to taking your own mug to the oﬃce instead of using the Styrofoam cups provided. It does take planning, but the result can be signiﬁcant savings, as well as environmental beneﬁt. Plastic — Disposable plastic water bottles create 1.5 million tons of plastic waste a year in the US alone. Americans send about 38 billion plastic water bottles a year to landﬁlls. 3. RECYCLE Plastic — We spend a huge amount on paper every day. The average per capita paper use in the US in 2001 was 700 pounds (318 kg). The average per capita paper use worldwide was 110 pounds (50 kg). Nowadays, 90% of paper pulp is made of wood. Recycling of newsprint saves about The best way to approach green alternatives for an existing operation is to explore the so-called three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. The average person generates four pounds of trash a day. Here are some ways that we can decrease that number. 14 MAY-JUNE 2008 | WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM http://www.mailingsystemstechnology.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008

Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Peer to Peer It’s an Inside Job Greening Your Mail Center Adopting an Automated Document Factory Intelligent Mail and Address Quality 7 Steps to Combat “Do Not Mail” A Successful Resolution Q&A with Dan G. Blair, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission The Intelligent Mail Barcode Developing High-Performance Teams Simple Strategies to Save You Money A Powerful Social Network With Change, Comes Opportunity Increasing the Deliverability of Mail Kate’s Slate Products & Services People of Distinction Advertiser Index Sho Time

Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008

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