By Maureen McMahon
On October 5, Facilities Services and the Office of Sustainability held a successful Shred-A-Thon and Paperless Office competition for staff members in the Harper Court office.
The event made for a bustling day on the usually quiet floor, with staff in offices and cubicles digging out of old paper piles and overfilled filing cabinets.
The staff of Finance and Business Services were the first to fill close to two 95-gallon containers before noon in support of transitioning to a paperless office. The staff of Campus Planning + Sustainability later filled close to three containers while the staff of Capital Project Delivery ended the day by filling up two containers.
Tiffany Grant, executive administrator, led the sustainability event. “I am impressed with how much paper has been collected,” she said. “I had to order more containers this morning because the response has been so strong. We started out with four 95-gallon containers, and by the end of the morning, three containers were already full. We were able to get an additional eight on site by noon.”
How did the winning teams gain an edge? “Sara Popenhagen of Campus Planning + Sustainability readied her pile last week! So did Finance and Business Services. They dutifully removed all the binder and paper clips ahead of time so they could fill containers first thing,” said Grant.
The Autumn Shred-A-Thon supports UChicago’s sustainability goals. Transitioning to a paperless office saves water and trees, reduces procurement spending, and minimizes the associated paper manufacturing processes that degrade the environment. Decluttering also makes workspaces more peaceful, clean, and up-to-date.
If emptying file drawers and clearing your workspace makes you feel energized, consider taking the Inbox Zero challenge next.