Tips for implementing sustainable practices to generate cost savings in your small-, medium- or large-sized business. MCS Management Services is a leading provider of on-site business support services, including mail center operations, shipping and receiving, records management, document and print center management, in-house litigation support, managed print services and related professional services.

1. By Daniel Carroll
Manager, Client Strategy and Business Solutions
www.mcsmanagement.com
June 2012
Tips for implementing sustainable practices
to generate cost savings in your small-,
medium- or large-sized business

2. 1. Statistics
2. Printing and Paper Output Reduction
3. Document Distribution and Communication Technology
4. Office Devices and Energy Consumption
5. Food Services and Vehicles
6. General Facilities
7. Savings in Sustainability
8. Savings Calculation: Printing and Paper
9. Savings Calculations: Electricity and Office Devices
10. Electricity Costs on Items Left on Overnight
11. Resources
12. Green Your Everyday Life — Checklist

3. • The U.S. Department of Energy says that $4 billion a year in electricity bills is wasted because of
vampire power sucking (standby power).
• A midsized company with 1,000 employees and $100 million in revenue will produce 30 million
pages of paper a year, which equates to cutting down 1,369 trees and producing about 300,000
pounds of CO2 annually.1
• One tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets. 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6
percent of a tree.2
• Due to the explosion of information, we use two times more paper today than we did in 1980, on
average. 1
• It takes 2,000 times more energy to produce a bottle of water than it does to produce tap water.3
• 69% of bottled water containers end up in the trash and not in a recycling container.4

4. • Print to PDF instead of paper: Print any electronic document — Word docs,
spreadsheets and web pages — to a PDF that can be saved on a computer
and distributed electronically.
• Use print preview: Adjust document formatting (font size, margins, etc.) to fit
more on a single page.
• Use email rules: This allows you to automatically route emails into a folder you specify in your
mailbox. This will alleviate the need to print emails to hardcopy.
• Keep electronic documents electronic: Upwards of 90% of documents that are “born” digitally
stay digital. (Just don’t print!)

5. • Rules-based printing: Send larger jobs to the most efficient and cost-effective
printer. General rule of thumb: The larger the printer, the less it costs per page to
print.
• Enforce mandatory black & white and duplexing/double-sided printing: For
“non-essential” documents (or 2-up/4-up per page).
• Energy Star™: Always buy Energy Star Certified equipment.
• Purchase “green” office products: Paper, stationary and toner

6. • Use a dual monitor setup: Most people reduce their amount of printing and
increase productivity.
• Digitize and automate business forms: For example, use PDFs with type fields.
• Set up an intranet: Host information you
need to share, and create simple
web forms.
• House documents electronically:
Make use of shared network drives
(network attached storage) or
document/content management systems.

7. • Use FTP services: Transfer larger electronic files to eliminate the need to wastefully
create CDs or DVDs
• Check out: YouSendIt, Dropbox andBox.net
• Web conferencing services: Use these services to reduce travel time and expenses.
• Check out: BigMarker, AnyMeeting
and Vyew
• Bottom line: Share information electronically.
Forward email attachments, links to
websites, etc., instead of printing.

8. • “Power down” all devices: When not in use, turn off electronic devices or set
them in sleep mode. This includes mail equipment, printers, copiers and
multifunction devices.
• Turn off all computers overnight: Or place in sleep or hibernate
mode.
• Energy conservation mode: Implement this mode on all available
equipment.
• Unplugging equipment when it’s not in use is ideal.
• Check it out: AC power adapters and cords still use
energy when plugged in, even if the device they power is
not turned on.

9. • Turn off all lights overnight in any facility where this is permitted (including
conference rooms).
• Avoid using incandescent bulbs: These are commonly found in desk lamps.
Instead rely more on compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), commonly used in office
buildings.
• Check it out: CFLs use three to four times less power than
incandescent lamps of equivalent brightness.
(Source: U.S. Department of Energy)

10. • Encourage the use of washable utensils, plates, etc. over single-use items.
• Make sure all clean plastic and Styrofoam, plates cups, and utensils
are recycled, as well as aluminum cans
• Rinse out glass and plastic containers with water prior to placing them
in the recycling stream.
• Rinse off any food/grease stains from plastic plates prior to placing
them in the recycling stream.
• Food byproducts that are excessively stained or soaked in grease
(e.g. pizza box) should not be recycled.

11. • Refrain from idling vehicles for too long: Generally,
less gas is wasted when the engine is turned off and
on again.
• Scheduled maintenance checks: Ensure these are
conducted regularly for peak performance. They should
include consistent oil changes and keeping tires to correct
pressure inflation.

12. • Keep exterior doors and loading dock gates closed: Prevent large amounts of heat or A/C
from escaping to keep the temperature stable.
• Close window blinds: This helps reduce the temperature from direct sunlight. (Keep blinds
open in winter to attract heat from sunlight.)
• Display green office signs: Label
recycling bin locations and more to
direct employees where to dispose of
items properly.
• Recycle all materials correctly:
Especially cardboard and plastics.

13. • Recycle or shred all printed pages: Ensure the destruction company
recycles shredded paper — most do.
• Reuse “good conditioned” materials: Paper boxes, pallets, and shipping
and packing materials.
• Put recycling bins in your facility: Place them in clearly visible areas,
especially by printers.

14. Two often overlooked areas that provide easy and measureable
savings:
• Printing
• Energy Waste

15. Item
Conservative Estimates
$ Low – high / median
1 LaserJet – toner print cost per page (B&W) $0.017 - 0.03 / 0.0235
2 LaserJet – avg. toner cartridge (yields 600-1K pages4) $19.99 – 38.99 / 29.49
3 Paper – cost per page (letter size) $0.006 – 0.0116 / 0.0088
Copy Machine/MFP – print cost per page (B&W) $0.013 - 0.021 / .0017
Calculations on next slide

16. Total Cost per page printed =
1 toner print cost per page + 3 paper cost per page +
(2 new cartridge ÷ 4avg. yield per cartridge)
$0.0235 toner cost + $0.0088 paper cost + ($29.49 toner ÷ 800 pages) =
0.0235 + 0.0088 + 0.0369 = $0.0692

17. Item
U.S. Average
September 2011
Electricity per kWh $0.135
Utility (piped) gas per therm 1.063
Gasoline per gallon 3.664
wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh = cost of electricity
Examples on next slide

18. Lighting
30 - CFL Blubs x 25 watts x 14 hours ÷
1000
x $0.135/kWh = $1.42/night
$517.39/year
2 - incandescent bulbs x 100 watts x 14 hours ÷
1000
x $0.135/kWh = $0.38/night
$137.97/year
Computers
Desktop PC X 73 watts X 14 hours ÷
1000
x $0.135/kWh = $0.14/night
$51.10/year
Copiers/MFPs
55-60 page per minute
model
X 2000
Watts (standby)
X 14 hours ÷
1000
x $0.135/kWh = $3.78/night
$1,379.70/year
LaserJet Printers
30 page per min.
model
X 28.5 watts
(standby)
X 14 hours ÷
1000
x $0.135/kWh = $0.05/night
$19.66/year
50+ page per min.
model
X 203 watts
(standby)
X 14 hours ÷
1000
x $0.135/kWh = $0.38/night
$140.04/year
wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh = cost of electricity
1 night = 14 hours (est.) US kWh Average = $0.0135

19. Unplug before you leave: Green your life:
 Wi-Fi router
 Coffee maker
 TV and cable boxes not
turned fully off
 Game console(s)
 Cell phones chargers
 Lights and fans
 AC units
 Space heaters
 Unused AC adaptors left
plugged in
 Take public transit, or other modes
of non-CO2 producing transit (bike,
walk)
 Keep car tires fully inflated and oil
changed at recommended intervals
 Participate in e-billing and process
electronic payments online (PDF the
receipt)
 Use a water filtration system or
a filtered water bottle instead of
buying bottled water
Average lifespan of
1 Tap Water Filter =
12.5 x 1 case of 24 bottles
= 300 bottles

20. 1. “The Top Three Right Ways to Go Green: Save the environment and save.” 2009.
Accessed via: www.aiim.org/green-ecm
2. Conservatree.org. How much paper can be made from a tree? Accessed via:
http://conservatree.org/learn/EnviroIssues/TreeStats.shtml
3. Gleick, P.H, Cooley, H.S. Energy Implications of Bottled Water. February 19, 2009. The
Pacific Institute.
Page 6.
4. IBWA. IBWA Rebuts Misleading and Factually Incorrect Video about Bottled Water.
Alexandria, Va.
March 22, 2010.

21. • Locate recycling centers for different types of materials: www.earth911.com
• Information on average energy usage of household items: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html
• Information about recycling batteries: www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/battery.htm
www.earth911.com/recycling/hazardous/single-use-batteries/
• Information about recycling light bulbs: http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/
http://earth911.com/recycling/household/light-bulbs/
• Information about donating or recycling computers:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htm
• 11 Step Guide to Develop a Waste Management Program for Business:
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/businesses/reduce-reuse-recycle/11-step-guide
• U.S. Department of Energy – Office Checklist and Sustainability Tips:
www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/etipsoffice.pdf
www.energysavers.gov/your_workplace/

22. MCS Management Services is a leading provider of on-site business support services, including
mail center operations, shipping and receiving, records management, document and print center
management, in-house litigation support, managed print services and related professional services.
Over 30 Years of Business Support Experience
Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBENC)
96% Client Retention Rate since 1993
Senior management team of experts has an average tenure of over 15 years