According to a count published by CRLS in 2013, the school printed 29,000 sheets of paper day that year. We are burning through paper like a forest fire. According to data from 2013, this forest fire is costing us close to $90,000 a year.  Spending $90,000 on paper may be something that the city of Cambridge can afford, but our planet cannot. We cannot afford to sweep the depletion of our main oxygen source under the rug like it’s not a big deal, like there is no other option.

We need to find new ways to address this unsustainable behavior. Choosing to contribute to a cycle that puts our world’s health at stake is selfish. We should further the progressive choices our school is making in other areas and move on from our old wasteful ways. How is it that in a school where each student has access to a computer, teachers still require printed assignments? The convenience of applications like Google Docs allows teachers instant access to students’ work and students instant access to their teachers’ comments. We should be taking advantage of these resources that we have access to.

Because it is hard to break old habits, change needs to be gradual. Classes where it is mandatory to print out assignments should require that students print their work on double-sided pieces of paper. Classes with packet readings should provide the option of reading these extensive essays online. Instituting simple incentives for teachers to conserve paper could spark further awareness of this issue.

If we implement these ideas in our community effectively, we could put out this forest fire.

This piece also appears in our October print edition.