The Problem With Paper

I had the coolest tree house as a kid. My dad built it for my sister and me in two big oak trees in our backyard. Over the years a thick layer of brightly colored paint covered the inside walls from the constant “redecorating” we did. We had sleepovers under the stars, and I remember the peaceful sound of the wind blowing through the branches at night.

The tree house is now gone, but the trees are still there and whenever I see paper being thoughtlessly wasted I think of those beautiful trees being cut down.

Paper products constitute the largest component of garage produced in the United States. Reusing paper is a simple way to conserve our natural resources and save your business money. Reusing and recycling paper saves virgin trees from being harvested, keeps pollution out of our rivers, reduces green house gas emissions—and trees are pretty for goodness sakes!

Mohawk paper has a great Environmental Calculator that calculates the environmental impact of your paper purchases at: http://www.mohawkpaper.com/resources/resources-calcs/

Small Changes can make a huge difference:

For example, our menu paper contains 20% Post Consumer Fiber. This small percentage of PC Fiber has a HUGE positive impact on the environment.

By using paper with 20% recycled content, every year we save 2 trees, conserve 855 gallons of water, prevent the release of 186 lbs of greenhouse gases, keep 6 lbs of water-borne waste out of our rivers and stop 95 lbs of solid waste from entering a landfill… and that’s just with our menu paper!

Here are some paper saving ideas that we’ve implemented at the Park Grill:

o Institute a “Think Before You Print” Campaign: Put a sign on every printer reminding employees to print all in-house documents on reusable paper

o Use a double-sided printer whenever possible
o Electronically receive and send faxes
o Print documents only when necessary
o Think of creative ways to reuse paper:I made note pads from old menus