environmental consultancy questions and answers

7/29/2019 Environmental Consultancy Questions and Answers

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Anna Moseley [email protected]

1. If you were asked by a client what to do in the following situation, what would youreply. They have an old photocopier/printing machine that does not print duplex,because of this they are looking at a new machine; they want to know whetherthey should buy one and what to look for if they do.

Recommendations:

1) If you currently print more than 6000 sides per month I would recommend replacing yourold printer/copier with an energy efficient duplex printer with a sleep mode. The amountof pages you intend to print per hour will affect the recommended energy efficiency ofyour new machine; please see below for more details. You should also use recycledpaper and recycle your old machine.

2) If you currently print less than 6000 sides per month I would recommend replacing your

old printer/copier with an energy efficient simplex (single side) printer with a sleep mode,and recycle your old machine. Or, (if your current printer does not have a sleep mode)keep your current machine but install an external control switch to turn the printer offafter a pre-set time. Use recycled paper.

Reasons:

When purchasing a new printer/copier the four things (1) you need to consider are:

Energy consumption

Use of paper and consumables such as toner, ink cartridges and maintenance kits(which also have embedded environmental impacts from production)

Equipment purchase (which also has embedded impacts)

End of life disposal

Regarding the first point, energy consumption, by replacing your printer with an energy efficientmodel you will see a decrease in your electricity bills. I have taken the following table (Table 1.) froma paper by the Department of Energy (USA). It shows how switching from a printer such as yours

with a base annual energy use of 370 kWh, to a modern energy efficient printer with an annualenergy use of 144 kWh, can save you around $70 over the lifetime of the printer (on a machineprinting 17 pgs./min on a laser printer.)(2)


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Table 1. Printer Cost-Effectiveness Example (17 pgs./min. Networked Laser Printer) (2)

Out of two machines with the same energy efficiency, duplex printing takes more time and

consumes more energy per Kilowatt Hour (kWH) during the printing process per sheet of papercompared to simplex (single sided) printing (Duplex =0.0003133 kWH per sheet, Simplex=0.0002667 kWH per sheet)(2) .However, money will be saved by switching to a duplex printer if yourbusiness prints 6,000 to 8,000 pages a month (8-9 pages an hour) (medium or high speed laserprinter)(2) as large savings can be made from reducing paper consumption by over 1/3. For example,with a duplex laser printer which prints 17 pgs./min. there is a potential to save around $570 overthe lifetime of the machine (6 years). (2) The cost of the duplex attachment is often repaid in twoyears or less. (2)

Any printer that you buy should qualify for good efficient energy rating and have a sleep modefunction. The number of pages your business typically prints per minute and whether or not colourprinting is required should dictate which printer you buy (See Table 2.). For example, if your

business prints fewer than 10 pages/min. in black and white than an efficiency of 10 watts or lessrecommended. However, if more than 44 pages/min. are required then an efficiency of only 75 wattsor less is recommended. (2)

Table 2. Printer Efficiency Recommendations (2)

From an environmental perspective, saving on paper has the potential to significantly reduce yourcarbon footprint. I have taken the following graph from a paper by Susan Morse of the University ofIndiana (See Figure 1.). It clearly demonstrates how the CO2 generated by the paper manufacturingprocess vastly outweighs the CO2 produced during the printing process. Therefore the main CO 2

saving is made by switching to a duplex printer to cut paper consumption. It also shows how usingrecycled paper can further reduce your carbon footprint. You can visit the websitePapercalculator.org to find out more about reducing your carbon footprint by using recycled paper.
http://www.papercalculator.org/http://www.papercalculator.org/


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Figure 1. Lbs. of CO2 by Recycled Content (3)

If you choose to replace your machine I also recommend recycling your old printer. Here is a list ofbusinesses that will be able to take away your old machine for free:

http://www.computerdisposals.co.uk/

http://www.it-green.co.uk/printer%20recycling.html

http://www.sitr.com/printer_recycling_disposal.htm

If you choose to keep your current machine, I would recommend the use of an external controlswitch to turn the printer off (rather than into sleep mode) after a pre-set time, and switch it on againwhen a print signal is received.

2. A client has a number of staff that relentlessly leave the lights on and their PCs

on, how do they educate these members of staff?

Recommendations:

I recommend in sending your employees to atraining day at Green Element in order

to make your staff more aware of the cost implications within the work place of not being

environmentally aware to the effects of climate change. Green Element staff have been specially

trained in ISO 14001. This environmental tool is utilised all over the world and has far reaching

implications. The training day can be tailored to your needs to enable a greater understanding as to

what effect the environment has on their industry.
http://www.computerdisposals.co.uk/http://www.it-green.co.uk/printer%20recycling.htmlhttp://www.sitr.com/printer_recycling_disposal.htmhttp://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/training-days/http://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/training-days/http://www.computerdisposals.co.uk/http://www.it-green.co.uk/printer%20recycling.htmlhttp://www.sitr.com/printer_recycling_disposal.htmhttp://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/training-days/


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As you clearly have a positive attitude towards greening up your office may I also suggest that thistraining course be integrated with a Green Element Greening up Strategyin order to identify otherways of reducing your carbon footprint and saving you money. Furthermore, these are the initialsteps which are formally required for the BS 8555, ACORN, which is an officially recognisedEnvironmental Management Standard (EMS) recommended by DEFRA (4).This standard offersaccredited recognition for organisations evaluating and improving their environmental performancethrough the phased implementation of an EMS. Please click here for more information and thebenefits of obtaining the BS 8555. If you are interested in completing phase one, described asCommitment and Establishing the Baseline, with us please see theGreen Element website.

3. A client wants to travel to Manchester City Centre tomorrow morning arrivingbefore 09:00; the price of a train ticket is 180. What should they do?

Recommendations:

Considering the early start required, long distance and high price of the ticket, I ask if it is truly

necessary for you to be there in person. If there is a conference you need to attend, a greener and

less stressful solution is for you to communicate via video call instead using free software such as

Skype or FaceTime. If you require a service were you can present slides, graphs, files and

webpages remotely may I recommend Meetingzone.com. This is a paid service but it is still far

cheaper than the train ticket to Manchester.

References

(1) James, P. and Hopkinson, l. 2009. Energy Efficient Printing and Imaging in Further and

Higher Education. University of Bradford. SustainIT. [online] Available at:

[Accessed 28th

November 2012]

(2) How to buy and Energy Efficient Computer Printer, 2001. Department of Energy United

States of America. [online] Available at: [Accessed 25th November 2012]

(3) Morse, S. 2009. An Exploration into the Environmental Impact of Duplex versus Simplex

Printing. IU Office of Sustainability. [online] Available at:

[Accessed 25th November 2012]
http://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/initial-environmental-impact-assessment/http://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/initial-environmental-impact-assessment/http://ems.iema.net/index.php/acorn_scheme/bs8555/phase1http://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/initial-environmental-impact-assessment/http://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/initial-environmental-impact-assessment/http://www.meetingzone.com/en-GB/home.aspxhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/printer.pdfhttp://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/docs/Coleman%20Morse%20Duplex%20Summary.pdfhttp://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/docs/Coleman%20Morse%20Duplex%20Summary.pdfhttp://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/initial-environmental-impact-assessment/http://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/initial-environmental-impact-assessment/http://ems.iema.net/index.php/acorn_scheme/bs8555/phase1http://www.greenelement.co.uk/service/initial-environmental-impact-assessment/http://www.meetingzone.com/en-GB/home.aspxhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/printer.pdfhttp://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/docs/Coleman%20Morse%20Duplex%20Summary.pdfhttp://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/docs/Coleman%20Morse%20Duplex%20Summary.pdf


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(4) BS 8555, 2012. Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. [online] Available

at: [Accessed 27th

November 2012]
http://ems.iema.net/index.php/acorn_scheme/bs8555/phase1http://ems.iema.net/index.php/acorn_scheme/bs8555/phase1

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