Green Office

Printing in the Green

At a minimum, we print our CSUMB publications on 50-percent recycled paper that contains at least 15 percent post-consumer waste. Where quality goals can be achieved at higher recycled content levels, we go that route.

More impacting in terms of saving trees, we work continuously to reduce the number of print publications generated in favor of digital communication. Most notably, we have eliminated the printing of paper class schedules, relying instead on a comprehensive CSUMB.EDU/schedule website. We have also trimmed the size of our print catalog by including only the most widely used information, then referring students and others to our detailed CSUMB.EDU/catalog website for the rest of the story. To facilitate the migration of information from print to the web, we led the effort to adopt a content management system for the CSUMB campus, and we spend a great deal of our time administrating this system and training campus users in conjunction with our partners in IT.

Notably, you won't ever see a print publication describing our M&P services. You'll have to read about us right here. We're also working to move our service requests, work tracking records, and most of our proofing online. Of course, it will be impossible for us to go completely paper free when we are producing print publications, which, as verified by research, remain very important to overall communication success.

Working in the Green

Though we only guarantee that we wear green on March 17, we try to keep our office dressed as green every day. Here's the Reduce/Reuse/Recycle/Redistribute checklist we use as a guide:

Recycle

• Place a recycle bin under every desk and next to every printer.
• Recycle paper, beverage containers, cardboard, and everything else that qualifies.

Reduce Paper Use

• Use the duplex printing feature on desktop printers and copy machines.
• Save paper printed on one side for draft printing, pencil sketching, and notetaking.
• Create email rather than paper memos.
• Circulate or post items received on paper rather than photocopying for everyone.
• Use post-it fax notes or a laminated cover sheet for faxes.
• Reduce font size, single space, and minimize margins to reduce sheet count.
• Share newspapers and magazines within the office.
• Project on screen or use white/chalkboards for presentations.
• Post presentation notes, agendas, minutes, and other materials online rather than distributing.

Reduce Energy & Water Use

• Shut off taps tightly, and report drips to maintenance.
• Turn off lights at the end of the day, or when a room will remain vacant for more than an hour
• Turn off all equipment other than computers when not in use.
• Leave computers on at all times for backups, but leave them in sleep mode with monitors off when not in use.
• Double-check the items above before departing for the night or weekend.
• Rely on natural lighting.
• Cycle, walk, use public transportation, or carpool to and from work whenever possible.
• Cycle or walk to other points on campus during the work day.
• Telecommute when possible, and always for full days rather than partial.
• Coordinate off-campus activities to minimize distance traveled.

Reuse

• Use refillable office supplies (e.g. toner cartridges, mechanical pencils, refillable pens, refillable tape dispensers)
• Use reusable coffee filters, mugs, plates, cutlery, and lunch containers.
• Reuse packaging supplies.
• Repair broken items before discarding.

Redistribute

• Give away or trade rather than throw away, unless the law specifically precludes redistribution

Questions or Suggestions

Please email marketing@csumb.edu, University Advancement Green Office Coordinator.