May 26, 2012 · www.gothamgazette.com

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Environment
Internet resources for what you need to know on NYC Environment
Sites For Beginners

The Topic
"Environment" refers to the places where New Yorkers live; our surroundings; the air, water and land that make our existence possible.
The Context
With more than 22,000 people per square mile, NYC must take considerable measures to protect the environment from the effects of such population density. Problems like asthma, PCBs, lead poisoning and waste disposal compromise the quality of the City's natural resources and threaten the health of its residents. The policy implications for solving environmental problems are complex: Should commercial activity take priority over environmental protection? To what extent can we require changes in lifestyle and consumption through legislation? How far does our responsibility extend to those in other places and future generations?
The Reporter
Alison Blackman Dunham is the former Director of Special Projects for the Recycling Division of the New York City Department of Sanitation, and former Executive Director of The Green Guerrillas, a citywide community gardening organization. She is an author who is known as one-half of The Advice Sisters.

Michael Burger is a freelance writer and native New Yorker. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, The Earth Times, Terrain, Artbyte, and other magazines."

The Archives
See past monthly updates for Environment.

by Michael Burger

The Myth Of The Paperless Office

(Sept '01) The concept of the paperless office has been a sparkle in the eye of environmentally-sensitive, and tech-savvy visionaries for more than 30 years. It has also been a dream for office managers focused on streamlining workflow efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, the concept has not progressed far beyond its status in the popular imagination; indeed, it remains largely a myth of a future world.

It would seem logical that the technology boom and the growth of computer use over the last decade would have reduced office paper use, but just the opposite is true. Despite the universe of new tools available for digital documentation, from digital cameras and scanners to software for drawing and viewing, the late 1990's were some of the paper industry's best years, according to the American Forest and Paper Association.

It turns out that people print out everything from internal memos to personal emails to websites of interest or note. Offices that extend email to workers see paper consumption increase 40 percent, according to the accounting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers. It seems that there is something tangible and essential, something earthy, about paper. People often point to its reliability and portability, the ease of reading off it and better retention of what is read.

The use of office paper is unlikely to dissipate soon. New York City itself recycles more than 1.2 million tons of office paper each year. That adds up to a stack 480,000 feet tall and, given the vast amounts of office paper that never get recycled, represents only a portion of the actual amount used. Paper industry analysts predict a 50 percent increase in office paper use over the next 10 to 15 years.

While recycling office paper increases truck traffic and carbon dioxide emissions on city streets, the environmental consequences of office paper use extend far beyond the city limits. The supply of office paper is garnered through non-sustainable forestry practices in woodlands from Maine to Washington state and from Nova Scotia to Brazil; the production, and recycling, of paper pollutes air and waterways around the world.

Though environmental health is undoubtedly a secondary cause, inside a few city government and industry offices the myth of the paperless office has started to become real. The Human Resources Administration, for instance, is piloting a paperless platform at the Hamilton Job Center in Manhattan, the Melrose Income Support Center in the Bronx and the Seaport Center in lower Manhattan. Workers at these facilities are using a computer program for all to determine income support and work service eligibility, as well as for some undercare and recertification actions.

Further, several legal bureaus within the Office of the Comptroller are now using an optical imaging system to electronically manage documents and information. According to the office, the program has saved $1.65 million by increasing the efficiency of processing claims and leading to earlier settlements; $1.6 million by reducing the clerical staff; $5.3 million by phasing out the old mainframe; and $720,000 by reducing the costs of storage and reproduction. The legal backlog has also been reduced.

In the private sector, Consolidated Edison has been lauded for its Automated Workflow System, which integrates letters, faxes and other documents. The use of the system by customer service representatives saves the company at least $2 million each year.

Obviously, offices can save more than just the trees with computer programs and platforms that reduce paper use. But there are other alternatives that might mitigate the impact of the paper industry's more destructive practices without sacrificing the human need to touch the text. The Earth Island Institute's Re-Think Paper program suggests tree-free papers made from kenaf or industrial hemp, along with other solutions.

How to Recycle

Office Issues


Sites For Beginners:

  • Natural Resources Defense Council - Their report, entitled "New York's Vital Signs," offers an excellent summary of NYC's overall environmental health. Mixed conclusions: in the last 25 years, air, rivers and bays have improved, but the quality of drinking water has declined.
  • NYC Department of Environmental Protection - Find out about the NYC's water supply, wastewater treatment, environmental planning and other environmental issues. Especially recommended: their info on the 3rd Water Tunnel. Great graphics.
  • U.S. Environment Protection Agency, Region 2
  • Environmental Advocates - An aggressive, Albany-based advocacy group for environmental concerns throughout the state. Reports on many different issues (some NYC-specific), voters' guides and volunteer opportunities, as well a terrific list of links.
  • New York Public Interest Group - A notoriously flinty organization, NYPIRG performs some heavy lifting in unglamorous environmental topics. Check out their report on waste plant emissions.


Other Recommendations:

  • Wind Power New York (WPNY) - A project of the American Wind Energy Association, was formed to promote the development of wind-powered electricity generation in New York State. For more information about the PG&E project in Madison, follow their link to The windmills of Madison County, a feature of Syracuse Online.
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension - Entomologists from Cornell University tell you everything you want to know about the Asian Longhorn Beetle, from how to identify it to how it can be destroyed.
  • Audubon Society - Founded in 1905 and named for famed ornithologist, explorer, and wildlife artist John James Audubon (1785-1851), the National Audubon Society's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. Learn why birds are an "ecological litmus paper".
  • www.moregardens.org - This pro-garden web site provides background on Esperanza Garden and efforts to preserve the city's other community gardens. Log on to learn about the Samson Bill, which would make all New York City community gardens permanent State parkland, and SLR 61, a complimentary bill that the City Council must endorse before the State can act.
  • Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities - Environmental concepts made easy. A great little Web site that provides comprehensive information about lead, environmental estrogens and, in case you were wondering, environmental astrobiology.
  • The Environmental Defense Fund - In conjunction with several other prominent environmental groups, presents a comprehensive explanation and analysis of global warming. Contents range from a simple explanation of how global warming works, to a discussion of its likely impact in the coming century. Be sure to check out the map of early warming signs.
  • Environmental Health Center's Asthma page - The Environmental Health Center, a division of the National Safety Council, provides voluminous, easy-to-understand background information on a comprehensive array of environmental and safety issues. If you live in New York City, this is a good place to start learning about asthma risks and prevention.
  • The Fire Island Ecology Coalition - Fans of Fire Island who can't bear the long winter separation may visit this comprehensive site, but they won't get the languorous summer feeling associated with their traditional summer visits. Instead, it offers a vigorous examination of threats to the island that demand serious attention„from the proliferation of jet skis and deer to global warming.
  • The New York City Environmental Justice Alliance - This page belongs to a coalition of grassroots organizations concerned with providing a clean and safe environment to communities of color and low-income communities, with topics such as "What's Transportation got to do with Environmental Justice?" This site connects you with such groups and shows you what they're doing . . .and how you can help.

Visit the Topic Archives!