Waste Not, Want Not

According to Zerowaste, a Singaporean website, wastage of paper in Singapore is rampant; we use and throw paper without hesitation. Well, it’s time for action.
Saving paper in school is a good way to start. Based on the Recycle Now Schools.com website, an average student wastes about 22kg per year, which is a massive amount of paper wasted. In this age of technology, there has been great emphasis on Web-based learning as opposed to traditional pen and paper. An app called “Link2Work” could be fashioned, and introduced to all smart phones. With this, students just need to click on it and an array of their subjects would be shown. Each subject icon would lead to another page where they can view their homework to be done. A deadline would be on a countdown, reminding the students about the homework that they have yet to complete. Thus, “Link2Work” reduces paper consumption, saves energy used in printing, eliminates packaging materials, and all the energy and cash costs associated with those materials. In another hand, students would be on track with his homework and therefore have better time management. They would also be more compelled to take responsibility of their own education as they cannot rely on teachers for teaching materials anymore. Accessing the app would be no problem for these internet savvy students as they are equipped with 21st century media literacy which enables them to navigate around the app easily.
Forms can also be sent using “Link2Work” to avoid unnecessary wastage of paper. It is because one would normally discard the top portion of the form after handing the bottom portion in. The student simply needs to check an option (‘yes’ or ‘no’) and a separate email of the form would be sent to the parents or guardian of the said student for approval or signature.
Student environmental clubs could be set up to raise awareness of paper wastage and help the school be more ecology- savvy. They could recycle clean but used paper into scrap paper for teavhers just by using some paper cutters. They could also educate the students on simple ways to conserve or reuse paper by using Tip of the Day post its, (i.e. reminding them to use both sides of the paper) A school waste reduction campaign could be set up by turning visits to nature areas and parks into service learning class projects. This way, students would be informed about environmental issues and appreciate the environment. This gives extra motivation to take actions to preserve and protect it by reducing cutting down of trees to make paper.
By reducing paper wastage in school, it would cut down the cost of waste removal significantly as paper waste, according to statistics, make up 20% of our everyday generated waste. Recycling helps in reducing the cost by providing the supply of the same material without having to purchase a fresh set of paper.
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Reducing paper is a collective effort. By saving paper, we are not just saving the trees, we are saving Gaia.
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-505 words http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20060708/060814-2.html http://www.zerowastesg.com/2012/03/27/singapore-waste-statistics-2011/ http://www.zerowastesg.com/2008/12/08/paper-recycling/ http://www.recyclenow.com/schools/recycle_at_school_guide/start_recycling/how_much_does_your.html