Mar 10
002

Are Phone Books Becoming Obsolete?

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, How Paper Is Environmentally Friendly, Why Choose Paper?

 
Dansk: en telefonbog English: a phone / teleph...

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Once a year, most households receive a large book delivery in their mailboxes. This delivery usually comes in a yellow or white bag. That delivery is a phone book. However, in today’s technological era, are phone books becoming obsolete?

Phone books have long been a staple in our society. They help people find phone numbers, addresses, and businesses. However, for some, navigating the phone book is just too time-consuming. A lot of people simply do a search online, which can save a lot of time.

On the other hand, online searches don’t always find exactly what you are looking for in a timely manner. Some websites require you to sign up your e-mail. Others require you to pay a fee to access the information, the same information that could be found in most phone books free of charge.

In my opinion, the younger generations primarily use the Internet. Using the phone book is not a common occurrence.

However, older generations, did not grow up with computers and cell phones. They actually had to look numbers up in phone books or remember them off the top of their heads.

Nowadays, most people have gotten rid of their landlines in an effort to save money. I remember when I was a kid, I used to know all of my friends home phone numbers by heart. I can still repeat almost all of them today. However, ever since I got a cell phone, there is no need to remember numbers. There are many phone numbers I should be able to recite simply because I have been calling them for years. However, I probably couldn’t even tell you the first three digits. Even though technology has made life easier in some instances, it makes me wonder what the trade-off is. Will future generations have better or worse memories since technology makes information so readily-available?

I would say most households still keep at least one phone book in case of emergencies. Even though many say phone books are becoming obsolete, I still believe it is smart to have one just in case. However, if you do not have a need for one, make sure you recycle it instead of simply throwing it away.

Even though many people think going paperless means going green, saving trees, and helping the environment, this isn’t necessarily the truth. People forget to take into account the impact technology has on the environment. For more information about why electronic communication isn’t more environmentally-friendly than print and paper, check out this fact sheet from twosides.us.

Share your thoughts. Do you use a phone book on a regular basis? Do you think phone books are or will eventually become obsolete?  If given the option, would you opt-out of receiving a phone book? Do you recycle old phone books or throw them away?

Check out this article on money.msn.com by Karen Datko titled “Are phone books obsolete?  Seattle is setting up a registry so residents can opt out of having the yellow pages delivered to their door.”

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Feb 02
001

Trees Are Like Corn

By Paige Wills in Facts About Deforestation, Facts About The Paper Industry, How Paper Is Environmentally Friendly, Why Choose Paper?

 
English: Alexandria City, MO, July 9, 1993 -- ...

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Now you may be thinking to yourself, how in the world are trees like corn? I had never thought of trees in this way until I watched this video from International Paper’s website (below).

When we think of trees being cut down, we don’t usually think of them being replanted. However, trees really are like corn. Corn is planted, harvested, and replanted. So are trees.

Corn has many uses including: food for both humans and animals and its used in some bio-fuels. Trees provide us shade, oxygen, and paper. They provide homes for many different kinds of wildlife and they help combat global warming.

According to International Paper’s website, “The trees they plant become forests that help improve air quality, provide clean water and protect soil and wildlife. The demand for paper contributes to landowners planting about 4 million trees in the U.S. every day. When you go paper, you grow trees.”

According to International Paper’s video, tree farms actually preserve green space and nature. Just think what would happen if the demand for paper drastically drops in this electronic age: green space would disappear. Farmers would be forced to sell their land because they would not be able to make enough money. When farmers sell their land, it is usually developers that buy the ground, not other farmers. That once green land is then filled with subdivisions, roads, skyscrapers, and homes. Once a farm becomes developed, the chances of it ever becoming a farm again are slim.

The last thing anyone wants to see if a beautiful farm turns into a subdivision. I know we did not want to see my grandmother’s farm turn into subdivisions when we sold it. She probably would have rolled over in her grave if that happened. Luckily, someone bought and preserved the farm.

I think comparing trees to renewable crops or fruit gives people a different viewpoint when it comes to cutting down trees. I believe the comparison “Trees are like corn,” or “Trees are like fruit,” makes it easier to understand. The paper that comes from these trees, like corn comes from the stalk, is a renewable resource.

Check out the interesting video below from International Paper’s website. Share your thoughts.

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Jan 27
000

The Importance of Paper and the Lottery

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, How Paper Is Environmentally Friendly, Why Choose Paper?

 
Mega Millions tickets

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How many of you have bought a paper lottery ticket in hopes of becoming rich? We all dream of what life would be like and what we would use the money for.

Buying lottery tickets is a weekly ritual for some. Some people play the same numbers every time while others simply leave it up to chance. Most of the time, we usually just waste our money or are lucky if we match one number. However, someone wins. We all hope that that someone will be us one day, so we continuing buying lottery tickets.

There is something magical about holding that little piece of tinted paper that we hope is worth millions. Even though the chances of winning the lottery are slim-to-none, it allows us to dream.

Paper plays an essential role in the lottery. Some people prefer to have all of their numbers appear on one ticket while others prefer to have one line of numbers per ticket. I assume it is probably a great feeling to hold a large, winning ticket in your hand (I have never won anything substantial but perhaps a free play). On the other hand, I would be afraid of losing that winning ticket. I wonder where people put their winning tickets before they turn them in…in their wallet, purse, a safe, or a drawer?

However, I was thinking, if it wasn’t for paper, how would the lottery work? Would we purchase numbers online and numbers would be sent to our e-mail. However, if we won, we would then have to print out the e-ticket, take it to the store, and claim our prize.

Now do you ever wonder what happens to “losing” tickets. Many of them are probably thrown away, torn up, or recycled. However, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Check out this article by Simone Preuss titled “A Millionaire’s Playground Made From Thrown-Away Lottery Tickets” on 1800recycling.com.  According to the article, a couple recycles losing lottery tickets in a unique way…they make art.

“Ghost of a Dream is a collaborative project by artistic duo Adam Eckstrom and Lauren Was. Unlike many other people, the husband-and-wife team do not regard unlucky lottery tickets as simply the end of a dream, but the beginning of one; their own dream of creating highly unusual art on a large scale seems to have come true, at least.”

Click here to view the article and the artwork that is made out of discarded lottery tickets. The art is clever and original in my opinion.

What are your thoughts? Have you or someone you known ever won the lottery? Did he or she frame the winning paper ticket? Have you ever seen art made out of discarded lottery tickets?

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Jan 21
001

The Claim “Going Paperless Saves Trees” is Misleading

By Paige Wills in Facts About Deforestation, Facts About The Paper Industry, How Paper Is Environmentally Friendly, Why Choose Paper?

 
English: A stack of copy paper.

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A lot of companies are “going green” by telling customers to go paperless. They make statements that it helps the earth and saves trees all the while keeping your information safe.

According to twosides.us, the statement that going paperless saves trees is misleading. “The message that “going paperless saves trees” is misleading because it links paper to deforestation, i.e. the permanent removal of forest. In the United States, however, the paper industry encourages and depends on sustainable forest management practices that regenerate billions of trees annually.”

On the other hand, how many times do you hear on the news someone hacked a company’s system and your private information was compromised. I know I have received this e-mail at least once. This means I have to change all of my passwords, and I usually delete that company from my mailing list.

Companies make claims that our information is “safe.” Now I don’t argue with the fact hacks don’t happen all of the time. However, anytime you store customer information in a central location, it makes the job easy for hackers.

Just imagine if “hackers” had to drive around to everyone’s mailbox and physically take the mail from the mailbox. They wouldn’t get as much “good” information, and they would have to risk being caught red-handed. I guess they could steal an entire post office mailbox, but that is risky as well, and there is no guarantee of what they will find inside.

Also, if you think about it, companies are pushing printing costs onto the consumer. Some companies now charge customers a monthly fee for paper statements. According to twosides.us, “…according to ESP Consulting, telecommunications companies can expect to save 45 percent per bill, while credit card companies save 37 percent when a paper bill is converted to an e-bill.” Instead of sending you a printed statement, they send you an e-statement. You can then print that off using your own ink and paper.

I don’t know about you, but I still think paper statements, bills, and letters are the way to go. What about you?

For more information about myths and facts, check out www.twosides.us.

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Jan 17
000

Software Calculates Environmental Impact Due to Printing

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, How Paper Is Environmentally Friendly, Why Choose Paper?

 

 

Exquisite-print printer

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        How many times do you hit “print” in your daily routine? We really have no idea or way to track how much paper we use over our lifetime. However, I just recently found out that my university installed software that tracks each student’s environmental impact in regards to the printing of paper.
        The software they use is PaperCut MF. It allows organizations to see how much paper they are using and the environmental impact.
        I took a look at the website and it looks like a tool that could be helpful, especially for larger organizations. I believe tracking how much paper each organization uses and the costs could help organizations save money all the while helping the environment as well. It could also be a great way to track printing costs in different departments. It also would allow organizations to print/code jobs to certain clients or departments. This could help make someone’s job a little easier.
        Sometimes just seeing the numbers will make you think twice. Do I really need to print this out? It wouldn’t eliminate paper in the workplace; it would just help ensure that employees use paper in an economical and environmentally-conscious way. This would benefit the organization, environment, and the employees.

          Since December 2010, I have printed 464 pages on school computers. However, this isn’t the shocking part. According to their tracking system, thus far, I have used:

  • 0.0573% of a tree
  • 2.1 kg of carbon dioxide
  • Enough energy to power a 60 watt light bulb for  130.6 hours

         This is only the amount of paper that I have used at school. This doesn’t include what I have used at home or work.
         Have you ever seen software like this? Does your company or school use something similar? Do you think if a company installed this type of software it would make people print in a more economical and environmentally-conscious way?

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