Student seeks 'marginally small' printing change

November 5, 2008

Nate Nevins wants to make a difference at the University of Florida.

The UF junior remembers going to Niagara Falls when he was younger and seeing the wonder of its natural beauty.

“I want to save (the natural beauty) for future generations,” Nevins said.

Nevins is leading a new campaign to reduce paper use. His plan is to change the default margins on campus computers to .75 inches on all sides. Now, the computers are set to 1.25 inches on the sides and 1 inch on the top and bottom.

“The simple change would save paper which would not only save trees and energy, it would also save the university money,” said Sara Hutton, the president of Gators for a Sustainable Campus.

Nevins’ idea came from a study conducted by the Pennsylvania State University Green Density Council. The study found that by reducing margins on campus, paper consumption was reduced by more than 22 million sheets per year or about 72 acres of forest.

Although exact numbers on UF paper use are not available, the study estimated that Penn State saved more than $120,000 per year. Penn State’s main campus currently has about 5,000 students less than UF.

Nevins has joined forces with Adrian Erlenbach, the student government environmental affairs secretary, to create a student government resolution that would include the “change the margins” campaign as part of a larger resolution on paper reduction.

Nevins and Erlenbach also plan to hang posters in computer labs across campus — to remind students to change the margins.

Nevins’ dream is just one of the many green initiatives at UF. The Office of Sustainability constantly has several projects on its plate.

The office recently produced the “Vision for a Sustainable UF,” a master plan for sustainability.

The report has a recurring theme related to the need for a culture shift and the creation of common norms that support sustainability. The report is available online at www.sustainable.ufl.edu.

“UF has come a long way just in the two years we have been here,” Anna Prizzia, outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability said. “We are really proud and excited to see all that is happening.”