With help from Auburn University’s Office of Sustainability, the OIT computer labs are now printing with tree-free paper.
According to OIT employee Jim Hawkins, Michael Kensler, director of the Office of Sustainability, came to him with this idea Nov. 17. He said the paper is made out of byproducts from sugar cane, and the paper came from Staples.
According to Hawkins, the paper may be a little heavier than regular paper, which is good for the printers. The paper has the same brightness as regular paper, and nothing has changed about it besides what it is made of.
Auburn University is one of the leading partners in using the product, Hawkins said. He also said to have people notice that Auburn is the leading partner should be something good for Auburn.
Although Hawkins thinks the new paper can have an impact, Larry Teeter, professor in forestry and wildlife sciences thinks otherwise. Teeter said he doesn’t think the tree-free paper is necessarily better than regular paper.
According to Teeter, he hasn’t seen if the tree-free paper has a better quality or a better price. He also said that they have a similar process, and sugar cane is grown every year as opposed to trees that take a longer time to grow.
Not only does Teeter feel as if it might not be better, but he said because the paper is made in South America, it could eventually affect some jobs here, saying, “Why buy something that could, in longer terms, take jobs?”
Other than it being better for the environment, Teeter doesn’t see why it’s better.
According Kensler, the paper is high quality. There have been tests that have shown that it works better than recycled content paper.
“I think it’s a great idea," Kensler said. "I think it’s a win-win. They’ll never be so much it’s going to supplant tree-based paper, but it’s a wonderful innovative alternative that has less of an environmental impact. It uses what would otherwise be an agricultural waste, and I just see it as positive all the way around."
Kensler said the paper is produced in an environmentally reasonable way. He said it doesn’t produce as much dust, and it doesn’t jam. He also said the paper is available to anyone, and it is about the same cost as 30 percent recycled content.
The idea of using the paper was introduced to them, according to Kensler. He said they are always looking for innovative ways to have less of an impact on the environment.
“We here at Auburn’s campus and around the country use an awful lot of paper, and it means cutting an awful lot of trees and so with this, what we’re doing is using an agricultural waste product that’s renewed two or three times a year that would otherwise be thrown in a landfill or burned, and we’re making paper out of it,” Kensler said.
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