Paper Reduction

Story

Yes, we live in a digital age. If you have not yet transitioned to electronic communications and saved thousands of dollars annually in the process, here is an example of how one JCC accomplished the task.

Greening seeps into every aspect of life at the JCC of Staten Island. The roof glistens with solar panels. Green products line supply closet shelves. Motion activated lights illuminate the hallways and remarkably little paper enters or exits the building.

Bu things were not always this way.

The story of greening at the JCC begins when the JCC joined the Jewish Greening Fellowship program (which was the first iteration of the Hazon Seal of Sustainability) and JR Rich, who was appointed the JCC’s Greening Fellow, began searching the building for opportunities to save energy and reduce waste.

As the Assistant Director of Marketing, JR works closely with promotional materials every day. He knew that the JCC was using huge amounts of paper at a tremendous cost; every JCC member received four printed program guides and ten news bulletins each year.

Determined to lower that number, JR and the Green Team devised a paper reduction plan that would save a lot of paper – and money.

Since 2009, the JCC of Staten Island has drastically reduced paper usage, saving $45,000 annually, engaging community members, and enhancing Jewish life.

Here is how the JCC of Staten Island did it:

The Green Team made a plan to begin phasing out paper materials and substituting them with electronic notices. The Green Team decided to implement its plan step by step and evaluate the results:

1. The Green Team collected members’ email addresses so that e-blasts could replace paper newsletters.
2. the JCC cut back from four program catalogs per year to one and began only mailing the catalogs upon request.
3. The JCC cut the number of news bulletins from ten to five per year. Over time, the number printed was reduced from 2,000 to 200, which are printed only as needed and only distributed in the building.
4. Based on the success of the previous measures, the JCC eliminated all printed mailings. in June 2010, postcards were mailed to every member announcing that in September the JCC would begin communicating by email only. Today, the JCC’s email reach 4,000 households a week.

Some JCC staff worried that eliminating print materials would decrease participation in events, but to their surprise, there was no drop in program registrations. In fact, switching to electronic communication increased participation in some programs.

The JCC’s commitment to paper reduction has spread beyond the marketing department. For example, the preschool introduced “Activit-e,” an interactive website for parents of children. The online portal cut 90% of the paper used to communicate with parents and actually increased enrollment in preschool programs.

Reducing paper waste not only helped the JCC’s bottom line, but it also strengthened its brand. In its annual report for donors, the JCC promotes its role as a steward of the plant and a steward of donations, pledging to careful not to waste the earth’s resources – or the donors’ money.

It’s difficult to eliminate paper completely. Make sure that your institution has a working recycling program and clearly labels all recycling bins. Be sure to also remind staff what products are allowed in the recycling.

JR has simple advice for staff or laypeople trying to cut their organization’s paper use: “Don’t be afraid to advocate for change.” Convincing senior staff to take action may be difficult, but once you’ve begun, the benefits of paper reduction will speak for themselves.

“Initially we started the conversation about dollars and cents,” JR said, “but as were seeing the results, we also saw that this project aligned with our values as an institution, as Jews, tasked with being shepherds of the earth.”

Here are a few more tips for reducing paper waste at your institution:

• Think creatively – look for every opportunity to switch to electronic communication
• Have staff use smaller margins
• Print double sided
• Utilize paper scraps in art projects for youth programs
• Printing is difficult to avoid entirely, so when you do print, use recycled paper

Reducing paper waste can be the pivotal first step towards greening your institution. You’ll save trees, save money, and serve your community!