Turning the PageWith the support of a $36,000 grant from the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, AASHE is teaming up with Root Solutions on an innovative program to reduce paper consumption on campuses. Drawing on Root Solutions’ expertise in behavioral psychology, “Turning the Page on Campus Paper Use” will engage a cohort of 10-12 AASHE members throughout the course of the upcoming academic year and provide them with in-depth training, guidance and tools to implement a behavior-based paper saving program on their campus.

Representatives of these institutions will participate in a daylong, in-person training on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the 2017 AASHE Conference and Expo. Participants will leave the training with a foundational understanding of potential behavioral interventions to reduce paper consumption as well as a plan for a paper saving campaign appropriate to their institution. Such campaigns may focus on the reduction of paper use in a pilot department, across a certain use area (e.g., classroom material) or by a certain demographic (e.g., students).

After the training, AASHE and Root Solutions will facilitate a series of individual and group phone calls with participants to help them refine and implement their paper saving campaigns in spring 2018. At the conclusion of the 2017-18 academic year, we will also assist participants to measure the impact of their campaigns. We plan to publish best practices and lessons learned into a guidebook as a tool for the higher education community.

“Paper use contributes to a range of serious environmental problems and also comes at a significant financial cost to colleges and universities,” said Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE’s Executive Director. “We are delighted to work with Root Solutions to accelerate the use of high-impact behavioral interventions to reduce paper use within higher education.”

How to apply

Institutions who would like to receive the support available through this program must submit an application by Friday, August 18. Only AASHE member institutions are eligible for support through this program. Please note that while the workshop and associated support from AASHE and Root Solutions is being made available at no cost, the selected institutions will be responsible for any travel and lodging costs required to participate in the workshop, as well as the costs associated with any materials necessary to support their paper saving campaign (e.g., signage). If you have any questions about this program or the expectations of participants, please contact AASHE’s director of Programs, Julian Dautremont-Smith.

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