SRU’s Bailey Library is pushing to reduce paper usage at their facility as they work toward creating a greener environment.
Jennifer Bartek, manager of library operations at Bailey Library, said that this initiative to cut down on paper usage is all part of the environmental push that Slippery Rock University prides itself on.
According to Bartek, the initiative is called “Think Before You Print,” which initially came about because the library department is participating in SRU’s Sustainability Enterprise Accelerator Program, “Green Leaves.”
“We as a department began to make changes in a number of environmental issues, one of which being centered around printing,” Bartek said.
She also mentioned that these types of shifts to people’s everyday routines require baby steps, but can eventually impact our carbon footprint. During the 2017-2018 school year alone, printers on the first floor of the library printed about 1.7 million total pages.
“The printers, especially the three main ones on the first floor, do print out a very high number of papers which can contribute to the amount of paper waste that the university produces,” Bartek said.
Bartek also mentioned that the library department thought one of the first steps towards being “greener” would be to encourage students to make the steps to reduce printing and paper waste. She said some simple ways to avoid wasting paper would be to use laptops rather than printing hard copies of presentations for class.
“We have adopted multiple ways of recycling and reusing paper on our part in the library,” Bartek said.
She said that the first step in the act of recycling is throwing print cover pages in the recycling bins located at the printer station. Bartek also said that paper is repurposed and given to the Slippery Rock Student Government Association Child Care Center to be used for arts and crafts.
