According to the American Forest and Paper Association, the average American uses about 748 pounds of paper per year. That amounts to over 900 million trees per year that need to be cut down to supply wood pulp for America’s paper industry alone. Each mature tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide and 60 pounds of other pollutants from the air annually.

Do the math. That’s a lot of carbon dioxide that stays in the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect—the trapping of heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. This extra heat that re-radiates back to the Earth’s surface is slowly but surely raising the average temperature of the planet.

Glaciers are melting, biomes are changing and certain species are approaching extinction.
Human beings will always have a negative environmental impact; this is a given. However, every little step, every attempt to mitigate this influence on the planet helps in the long run. As a result, Saratoga High and its students can play their part by cutting down on paper waste.

The excessive amounts of handouts are not needed. History classes in particular should cut down on their 100-plus worksheets and packets, but all classes in general need to limit their waste of the copy room’s supply. For a teacher to print a one-page handout for three normal-sized classes, he or she needs about 90 to 100 sheets of paper.

Teachers and students alike can cut down on this paper usage by using other resources. Students can use whiteboards or overhead projectors to do classwork. Outside readings and other non-worksheet assignments can go onto a teacher’s website as online files; students can then print them out on an as-needed basis.

Teachers can also make homework assignments completely digital: using turnitin.com, Google Docs or even email, students can then submit their completed work without essentially wasting the paper needed to print the assignments.

Recycling also needs to have a higher importance. While occasionally more expensive than its non-green counterpart, recycled paper allows the wood pulp from trees to be reused, greatly limiting the amount of trees a corporation needs to cut down. Additionally, recycling paper derivatives such as cardboard, unused napkins and boxes can keep paper in the current supply and out of landfills.

The school has done its part to help the environment through its “Green Team,” a student-run commission that has moved to install solar panels, thermal pool heating and air conditioning improvements. However, nine students and the administration cannot tackle this job alone; everyone needs to play his or her part.