Description: In the modern education system, many of classes track students’ progress with the use of worksheets. This, while effective, uses a lot of energy and paper that hurts the environment and the school’s budget. We can reduce this cost greatly by using one set of worksheets for all the classes of that subject, encouraging students to buy notebooks made out of recycled material, and by buying recycled paper instead of paper made from virgin materials.
Environmental Savings: A four foot stack of paper is equivalent to a 40 foot fir tree in the paper industry. It has also been recorded that on average, a student will use and throw away 28 pounds of paper materials in one school year. By using one set of worksheets and notebook paper, we can cut that amount in half. It not only helps our school, but other people as well. One ton of recycled paper saves 3,700 pounds of lumber and 24,000 gallons of water. Also, one ton of recycled paper uses 64% less energy, 50% less water, and produces 74% less air pollution to produce instead of paper made from virgin materials. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees (35 feet tall), 2 barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatts of energy, 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and 60 pounds of air pollution. By changing our schools’ habits very slightly, the savings for the environment will be huge.
Cost Savings: Last year, our school bought $2,747.16 worth of paper for the year. If the school switched to just simply using class sets of worksheets, it would bring our buying cost to about 1511.29, just a little over half of what we used to pay. If we were to buy recycled paper, it costs about fifteen cents higher than using regular paper per package. Since paper costs would be cut almost in half by using class sets of worksheets, can’t we afford to go that step and spend one more dime to save our earth from millions of tons of pollution? This is simple solution, that can be easily done, for less money than usual; and you’re helping our environment.
Cost of Project/Materials Needed/Cost of Materials: This project actually saves us money. There are almost no materials needed except a good attitude and five minutes to find a recycled paper company that will sell to our district. This project is so easy and effective; it is a perfect plan for our school to use to contribute to positively to the environment, cut costs, and teach the students a lesson in conservation.