We all know having the majority of documents in hardcopy form can hinder productivity, be costly, and diminish security intentions. What you may not realize is the effect it has on the environment.
The green impact by using automated data storage solutions is the tip of the iceberg of the reasons why the digital imaging market is erupting right now. Document management software providers are delivering a much-needed service that many businesses are finally utilizing, and this will have significant impacts on our planet.
Green Benefit #1: Reduce Consumption
This might be a no-brainer, but when you really think about all the paper, ink cartridges, energy usage, and postage that are consumed by having all your documents on paper, the truth is mind-boggling. More paper used, more trees chopped down, more paper disposed of in our landfills…you get the picture.
According to the Environmental Paper Network, if “…the United States cut its office paper use by roughly 10 percent, or 540,000 tons, greenhouse gas emissions would fall by 1.6 million tons. This is the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road for a year.” Need I say more?
Green Benefit #2: Less Traveling
You and your employees can cut down on fuel by cutting out those extra trips to the office. All of your documents will be easily accessible through your computer or online. This also allows for greater flexibility, allowing employees to telecommute more often. Think of all the gas saved and pollution out of the air.
Green Benefit #3: Eliminate More Equipment
Once you have files scanned and digitized, the ability to distribute documents electronically will reduce the need to have so many (or any) fax machines and copy machines. This results in a noteworthy reduction in energy use needed to run them. Additionally, with more companies needing less of these machines, less of them will be produced to begin with. This also includes the decrease in production of unneeded filing cabinets!
Green Benefit #4: You’ll Look Good
You already have an idea of what consumers expect; now you can add being environmentally conscious to the list. Being socially responsible is becoming a large part of any organization’s reputation and success, so taking steps such as adding electronic document management systems to your business will make an important difference in how your customers view you. How is protecting your rep a green benefit? The sheer numbers of companies wanting to look good by doing the right thing will inevitably make a difference.
This is a process any company, big or small can embrace. Do not get discouraged as you look over the rows of filing cabinets holding your paper docs. This is certainly not a venture you will have to take on alone. By using a reputable document imaging company, the work can be done for you. Plus, you can rest assured knowing your documents are being handled meticulously; and that you are doing your part to protect the environment.
By: Dale Knauss
Concepts of Waste Management
2009
Dealing with waste management has become an issue of major importance. Some things, like landfills, are becoming increasingly full. This creates a situation in which we are forced to find new ways to dispose of waste. This said; let’s explore some of the concepts of waste management.
- Some interest groups seem to oppose any new development anywhere. It can seem as though their goal is to avoid all new developments. In the UK, these groups are commonly referred to as BANANA, which means Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything. By contrast, NIMBY means Not In My Back Yard. These groups do not oppose development projects as a whole. They only disagree with certain ones that they feel are inappropriate for their particular neighbourhood.
- Great Britain has come up with a way of managing waste called the BPEO, which stands for Best Practical Environmental Option. The BPEO essentially looks at a project and determines the best course of action. They look at the implications to the environment in the short term and the long term. They are dedicated to minimizing environmental impact and maximizing benefits.
- EPR, or Extended Producer Responsibility, is the concept that producers must incorporate the cost of disposing or reusing a product once it has served its purpose. A company who manufactures these things must ultimately take care of the waste it generates. The company can do this alone, or outsource it to a PRO, a Producer Responsibility Organization.
- Linguistic Detoxification is an environmental term used to describe a process in which the level of toxicity is downgraded by assigning it a different term through legislation. The naming of this phrase is credited to Barry Commoner, an environmental activist.
- Some places have taken the Pay As You Throw approach. Consumers are charged a fee based on the amount of municipal solid waste they turn in at the collection site. Normally, recyclable materials are accepted free of charge. PAYT is also known as variable rate pricing or unit pricing.
- The Polluter Pays Principle basically means that the person or entity producing the waste product is fiscally responsible for the damage done to the natural environment. This is also known as Extended Polluter Responsibility. The government seeks to put the responsibility for disposal onto the producer, hopefully providing incentive for them to improve the recycling ability of their products.
- There is a moral and political principle called the precautionary principle. This principle states that if harm to the public might occur, then if there is no scientific consensus that states that harm will not occur, the responsibility for the result falls on the advocates. In regards to the environment, this principle is most often applied to the release of toxins.
- Product stewardship is a concept that says that everyone involved in the product is responsible for its disposal after its useful life. The manufacturer must plan for and even pay for the disposal of the product. The consumer must recycle or properly dispose of the product. Everyone takes a part to minimize environmental impact.
- Waste Hierarchy is talking about the “three Rs”, and classifies waste management approaches based on their desirability. These are reduce, reuse, and recycle. Basically the goal is to get the most use out of a product and to generate the least amount of waste.
- The Zero Waste concept essentially promotes the idea that the current recycling procedures be enhanced to create a circular pattern in which the most use is obtained from a product. The goal is to create zero waste by reusing a product as many times as possible.
By: Derek Both
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