Several UF departments have formed a new awareness campaign called "Think Before You Ink" to solve a large financial and environmental problem - excessive waste of paper.
Kyle Cavanaugh, senior vice president of administration, said the campaign consists of three stages that will be introduced over the summer. The first stage focuses on reducing the number of excessive printouts and photocopies produced on campus.
Anna Prizzia, UF sustainability outreach coordinator, said UF is one of the only universities left in the nation that allows its students to print from most computer labs for free. She said UF may have to begin charging for every printout to emphasize the value of the paper.
Cavanaugh said the second stage aims to persuade faculty, staff and students to post newsletters, magazines and reports online instead of distributing them as handouts.
Upon completion of the third stage, UF will print large-scale publications exclusively from a select group of certified printers based upon their levels of service, affordability and sustainability, Cavanaugh said.
For these programs to work, Prizzia said they need an internal communication program, which led them to develop the Green Team.
The Office of Sustainability wants every college and department to contribute to the Green Team, a volunteer network to create awareness and enforce sustainability practices, she said.
"We have such a decentralized campus," she said. "I know people are trying to promote their conservation programs, but they can't reach all of UF's areas at once."
