No-Cost Green Promo Tool Can Do More Than Reduce Paper Use

eco-friendly "don't print" logo

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According to GreenPrint Technologies,* every year Americans use enough paper to build a 10-foot-high wall that would stretch from New York to Tokyo. That’s a lot of paper!

Environmentalists have taken note. More and more frequently, they include one of the following messages in their e-mail signature lines:

• Think before you print this e-mail.
• Please consider the planet before printing this e-mail message.
• Save a tree. Print only when necessary.

Similar to a P.S. in a traditional letter, which according to studies by direct marketing researchers is the second-most-read part of a letter next to its headline, an e-mail signature is an easy and effective way to “market” simple messages at the bottom of your e-mails.

So why stop with a “print-less” message at the end of your e-mails? How about including a favorite easy-to-implement green tip, a one-sentence green book review, a snapshot update on a green project your library is undertaking, a green resolution your library has made, or even a friendly invitation:  “To reduce my carbon footprint, I’m biking to work. Why not join me?” in your signature line?

Update these end messages over time to provide fresh, continuous information and inspiration. According to a 2005 Microsoft Office Survey, U.S. workers said they receive an average of 56 e-mail messages per day. That spells OPPORTUNITY to me.

In my next blog post, I’ll discuss how selecting a different font when you do print can impact the environment by reducing the use of eco-unfriendly printer ink.

* “Recycling Facts and Figures,” Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. PUBLCE-163, 2002 www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/wm/publications/