As far as we can see, there will never be a paperless municipal office. No matter how well municipalities are able to integrate electronic communications into their operations, there will always be a need for printed building permits, marriage licenses and tax bills.

Yet printing can be tough on the environment. Environmental Defense calculates that 90 percent of printing and writing paper used in the U.S. is made from virgin wood pulp – and the process of manufacturing a single ton of this paper consumes three tons of wood, more than 19,075 gallons of water and generates 2, 278 pounds (more than a ton!) of solid waste.

And the printing process itself is hazardous: Producing film, making the printing plates, and cleaning the presses require solvents, driers and other solutions known to cause human health problems, including certain types of cancer, kidney and liver damage and reproductive problems.

"Green printing" refers to new trends in printing and print design which reduce waste, reduce toxins, reduce use of trees, and use recycled materials. The basic considerations are:

• What kind of paper can be used for this print job? Every paper manufacturer now offers at least one line of paper with some recycled content.

• Can the job be designed to use less paper, either by reducing type size, graphic content or printing on both sides of the sheet?

• Can the job be printed using non-toxic soy-based inks, rather than traditional petroleum-based inks and solvents?

• How many copies of this print job are really needed?


Resources

Environmental Defense works directly with businesses, governments and communities to develop practical solutions to environmental problems. Their web site has a good article on Green Printing.