Working Paperless

The UW is committed to reducing paper consumption by 30% from 2010 levels. As part of that effort, we are highlighting best practices on paper reduction from members of the UW community.

See our Reduce paper page for more information on reducing paper at UW and the UW Committee on Paper Reduction.

This interview is with Kevin Steenis of UW Information Technology on his efforts to work paperless.

What was the driver for this initiative?
I wanted to minimize use of paper and made a choice personally to have less clutter. It’s easier to multi-task and share work. I started not working with paper in the last four months.

What did you do to achieve your goals?
Ask if you need to print and look at the impact on behavior change: Don't click the print button! Tip: Set your printer setting to default to PDF Writer to encourage people not to print. I can tell if I'm being successful if I don't have to print and there's no paper in my bag.

What were the benefits?
Not printing saves money, there's better physical organization and less clutter - my desk looks good!

Suggestions and recommendations for others looking to implement a similar program
Look at your workflow and assess how paper integrates into your daily workflow. It's all about data; people make decisions based on data. Put some capabilities in place to have electronic forms of communication and create a central documentation sharing system.