Paper Tiger Blog

Earth Day is Monday, April 22^nd, and each year individuals across the globe participate in events geared towards environmental protection. Wouldn’t you like to get involved?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each year in the United States, Americans use about 71 million tons of paper and paperboard. Many organizations and individuals are making an effort to go paperless. A paperless environment is certainly good for the Earth as the amount of waste in the landfill is reduced in addition to greenhouse gas emissions and the energy used by printers.

Whether you are trying to go paperless or not, most of us still have some paper files, but we can still work toward less paper. Here are a few tips to help you be more environmental, and don’t forget to index the hard copy paper files into Paper Tiger filing system software for document management, so that when you need to retrieve a document, you can find it without having to print it again.

1. Print on both sides of the paper. Admit it, we’re all guilty! Most of us print on only one side of paper, however we can reduce our copy paper count annually by printing on both sides of the paper.
2. Recycle. Instead of throwing your paper files in the trash place them in the recycle bin. There are a multitude of products that can be made from recycled paper such as egg cartons, car insulation, hospital gowns, paper money and masking tape.
3. Think before you print. Before you even print documents ask yourself, “Is this something I really need a hard copy of?” If the answer is no, simply don’t print. But if the answer is yes, preview the document for errors that may cause documents to be reprinted. Print only the pages you need. If you have a meeting, print the correct number of copies instead of extras.

Here are just a few benefits of using Google Docs/Drive that can help you participate in Earth Day this year.

-Google Docs allows you to access your word processed files, spreadsheets and presentations. You can easily share these files with others. You can edit and work on these documents in the same location they are stored in. This can all be done without ever having a physical sheet of paper. The only time physical documents are involved is if you must first scan them into Google Docs. Sometimes you might need a hard copy in file, but also an electronic file. Using Digital Tiger, powered by Google Docs, function in Paper Tiger Online Basic or Pro plan, will allow you to index the physical paper file into Paper Tiger and also search Google Docs for the digital file.

-Google Docs has one of the cheapest digital file storage available. This means you can create and store all of your files digitally without physical paper clutter while also saving valuable space on your hard drive.

-Worried about the safety of your documents? While Google Docs is very secure, you have the option to send automated backups to your computer and also synchronize through Google Drive.

You can easily do your part to reduce your paper footprint by rethinking how you work with paper files and digital files. These tips can help you do your part in keeping the environment healthy. Whether you have digital files or hard copy paper files, you can easily do your part by reducing paper use for Earth Day.