Reducing Paper Consumption through E-mail Use

Did you know that paper consumption continues to rise by 20 percent per year despite the increased use of technology in business? The average American uses 734 pounds of paper each year for basic communication and literacy.

Simply using e-mail messages instead of written memos does not guarantee that you will use less paper. However, by following the three strategies listed below, which are related to e-mail use, you can reduce paper consumption in your office.

Follow policies about printing
The best way to reduce the amount of paper generated by e-mail is to adhere to the company policy about printing. Many companies have policies about printing that define what kind of messages you can print or how much you can print.

If your company has no defined guidelines, you will need to decide for yourself whether or not it is necessary to print the information. You should ask yourself why you are printing the message. Do you really need a paper copy?

If you think you will need to refer to the message later when you may not have access to your e-mail account, you should print the message. You also may need to print the message if it is lengthy, and you need to refer to it frequently as you do your job.

Store data electronically
If you limit the amount of information you print, you need to have a convenient and trusted system to store data electronically. What are the advantages of storing messages electronically compared to a paper storage system?

You have immediate access to information.
You improve your searching abilities.
You reduce the expense of paper.
You reduce the need for physical storage space.
You increase your ability to share information.

The way you store electronic data will vary from company to company. The most common way to do this is to save it in a separate file on your hard drive. You also can back up e-mail messages and attachments to a removable disk. In addition, many organizations have a backup system on the company server. This is a place where you can save your data and protect it even if there are problems with your computer.

Use all the features of your e-mail program
The final way to reduce the amount of paper you use is to use all of the features in your e-mail program. If you know how to optimize the e-mail program, you will be more likely to use it as an everyday business tool. Some helpful features of e-mail programs are described below.

The calendar feature enables you to schedule appointments and meetings and keep track of your commitments. This feature replaces your personal paper agenda or organizer.
Some programs have a note feature that allows you to jot down reminders to yourself. They are comparable to the paper sticky note.
The journal feature allows you to keep track of activities and documents. This is especially useful for project billing or recording when you make a telephone call. If you use the journal feature, you will not need paper copies of project time or telephone logs.
The address book stores the contact information of your business associates. It is an electronic index that replaces the paper version of your address book.

You can help reduce paper consumption in your workplace if you use the e-mail program efficiently. Remember to limit what you print, store messages electronically, and use the relevant features in your Marthoma.com e-mail program.

Note: Marthoma.com email you can store information forever in GB of storage.

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