Environmental protection is part of the organizational culture of Gdansk University of Technology. The need to reduce the consumption of raw materials and natural resources is our responsibility. Paper production is associated with significant depletion of natural resources (wood and water) and high energy consumption. The well-known slogan "Reduce, Re-use, Recycle" is particularly applicable to our daily work. This is because these three simple steps can help reduce the use of paper at Gdansk University of Technology.

Reduce:

  1. Select "Print double-sided" in the print settings - this feature reduces paper consumption by 50%.
  2. Edit and comment on documents on screen rather than on paper.
  3. Don't print emails or other documents unless necessary. Publish and share materials in electronic format.
  4. Check the document before printing. Before you click the print command, read to see if the printed page contains errors. Also use the print preview on the screen.
  5. In Excel, remember to set the print area to print only relevant information.
  6. Use the page layout option (vertical or horizontal) to ensure the document fits best on the page.
  7. If you are printing material for your own use, reduce the font size and margins. Try to fit 2 pages of your document on one page.
  8. Turn off cover page printing.
  9. If it is not necessary, do not print in color. Choose to print in grayscale.
  10. Use tools/programs that allow you to fill it electronically so that you do not have to print documents that do not require signatures.
  11. In your unit/team, create clear procedures and clearly define printing criteria. Most documents can remain electronic.
  12. Collaborate online, take notes on your computer.
  13. Take a laptop or phone with an electronic version of the document to the meeting.
  14. Paper towels are convenient, hygienic and easy to use - but you only need one leaf to wipe your hands.

Re-use:

  1. Re-use reused sheets. Collect all sheets printed on one side in the office and place them near the printer for reuse. However, remember not to reuse documents containing confidential data. These should be destroyed.
  2. Re-use paper for taking notes. Cards printed on one side, sheets of paper from a calendar that is no longer current, and small pieces of paper make great notebooks.

Recycle:


Remember to segregate properly.

In the paper container you can put:

  • paper packaging, cardboard,
  • catalogs, flyers, brochures,
  • newspapers and magazines,
  • school and office paper, printed sheets of paper,
  • notebooks and books,
  • wrapping paper,
  • paper bags and sacks,

The paper container cannot be disposed of:

  • paper towels and used tissues,
  • foil-coated paper,
  • heavily soiled or greasy paper,
  • milk and beverage cartons,
  • greasy, disposable paper packaging and disposable dishes.

Do you have any ideas for joint savings activities?

Share initiatives, ideas, thoughts and comments with us by sending an e-mail to sdgs@pg.edu.pl

Please also visit our webpage: PG Sustainability