Help the Environment by Recycling The state of our environment today is such that it needs all the help

that we can give it. Global warming is increasing to the detriment of the polar ice caps which are one of the major regulators of our global climate.

Carbon Dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases is building up in the atmosphere and one of the causes of these is denudation of forests all over the world. Although there has been some concerted effort pollution remains one of the major problems facing us today. -The Photo to the left is by Andy Keir.The generation of trash is also at an all time high. The bottom line is that our environment is in dire straits and all of us need to do our part for the environment. Help the Environment by Recycling / The Process This is where recycling process comes in. This sounds relatively simple but can contribute enormously to preserving the environment for the future and for our future generations. What is recycling? Recycling is the process of collecting materials that have been discarded and are considered waste and reprocessing. The difference between recycling and reusing is that while reusing is merely just a repeated use of old products, recycling using the core elements of old products, such as plastic water bottles,computers, pallets, and cell phones as raw materials to manufacture new goods. 4 Ways to Help The Environment There are numerous ways to help the environment by recycling. Here are just a few: 1. Recycling saves energy. The manufacture of new products from virgin materials the amount of energy needed is much higher than using recycled materials. The energy and resources that are expended in the transportation of virgin materials is also saved. Additionally the effort, energy, and resources needed to protect and clean up the environment in the extraction and production of these virgin materials are also dispensed with. There are many companies out there that help reduce the problem of wasted resources by offering options (like ink cartridges) that make sense.

Instead of creating just ink cartridges that are used up quickly, they also manufacture energy-saving and money-saving replacement kits. When consumers seek out companies that have established green practices, like Carrot Ink, the consumer wins by not only helping the environment but also by saving money. 2. Recycling reduces pollution and preserves the environmental condition. The energy saved in producing new goods from recycled materials goes a long way to helping global climate change. By minimizing the energy used in manufacturing the emission of greenhouse gases is also reduced. The major fossil fuels which are used in manufacturing like gasoline, coal, and diesel all emit harmful greenhouse gases. Any reduction in the consumption of these fuels result in the reduction of greenhouse gases emitted. 3. Recycling preserves natural resources. When the raw materials used in the manufacture of new goods is derived from the core elements of old products there is an enormous saving of limited and finite natural resources. Instead of cutting down more trees to produce more paper the trees can be saved by using old newspapers to produce new paper. When people how the environment by recycling in this way everybody wins. 4. Recycling saves the space that is used for waste disposal. A major portion of the landfill space in use today is filled up with materials that could otherwise have been recycled. With landfill space at a premium today any reduction in the waste that needs to be discarded and will occupy space in these landfills benefits the environment. Hazardous waste that disposed of in landfills can leak toxic or corrosive chemicals into the environment.

Some Interesting Facts: y y

Paper waste comprises 40% of our municipal solid waste stream. Less than 1/3 of our paper is manufactured from recycled sources, and in the U.S., 99% of the virgin fiber used for paper manufacturing comes from trees. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2010, worldwide paper and paperboard consumption will increase 90% from 1993. This equates to a consumption level of 528 million tons. U.S. businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper every year, the equivalent of 175 pounds per office worker. On average, every American consumes over 730 pounds of paper a year, making the U.S. the world's greatest paper consumer. A 12-foot high wall stretching from New York City to Los Angeles could be built with our annual office and writing paper waste. The 300 million rolls of fax paper we use each year is enough to go from the Earth to the moon 26 times.

Benefits of Recycling Recycling one ton of new paper translates into the savings of:

y y y y

17 mature pulpproducing trees 78.75 gallons of oil 7,000 gallons of water 41,000 Kilowatt hours of energy

Additionally, air pollution is reduced by 60 pounds and three cubic yards of landfill space are conserved.

If each copier in the U.S. made 5 fewer copies a day, we could save up to 1.4 million trees.

Paper fibers can be recycled about six or seven times before they begin to disintegrate.

What You Can Do:

y y y y y y y y y

Follow your office building's recycling program. Buy recycled office products. Whenever possible, print double-sided. Use the back of old documents as scrap paper. Send electronic copies instead of paper. Circulate office memos to avoid excess copying. Preview documents on screen before printing. Avoid using fax cover sheets. Copy materials only as needed.