Do you ever think about how much paper we use on a daily basis? Whether we use it to print out assignments, take notes or even send a thoughtful birthday card to friends, paper is a huge part of our lives. About 2 years ago, I worked on a research project that I dedicated a year of my time to. The final result was a 42 page paper. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, I printed the project double sided, but it still came to about 21 pages of paper. I was mortified. Although our society has become more environmentally aware ―such as making paper from forest byproducts that are not suitable as lumber― the amount of paper wasted is still massive. A company office wastes 350 pounds of paper per employee per year, resulting in huge amounts of acres of forests becoming barren of trees. However, there are organizations working to reduce the amount of paper wasted. The Environmental Paper Network (EPN), a group launched in 2002, is working to reduce paper consumption through simple acts like double-sided printing, using small fonts , eliminating paper products (coffee cup s, book sleeves etc) and e-billing. Their mission is to implement environmental policies in companies and ultimately reduce paper wastage in corporate america. How do you think, as students, we can support EPN's mission?

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/stor … /32547571/

I agree with you; the amount of paper we use, especially as students, is huge. One way that I use less paper is by using virtual index cards (Quizlet) and if I use paper ones,  once the unit is over, I erase and reuse them. Another good way to reduce student paper waste is to abbreviate/write slightly smaller in note-taking, because it saves so much paper. Here's a list of ways to reduce paper waste from Earthshare, a nonprofit founded to "engage individuals and organizations in building a healthy and sustainable environment".
http://www.earthshare.org/2008/09/shortening-the.html