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Save the earth, one-half inch at a time

ITD employees can begin saving the planet an inch – or more precisely, one-half inch – at a time, according to a suggestion that was relayed from the Division of Planning and Programming.

Administrator Matt Moore recently received a tip that can save paper, and when compounded throughout the department could result in cost savings.

Here’s how it works:

At half an inch, it’s a small idea, but if everyone did it, we could save acres of forests. And it’s as simple as clicking a few buttons on a Microsoft Word document before sending it to the printer.

“Change the Margins” is campaigning for individuals, companies, and universities to reduce standard paper margins to 0.75 inch. (The default margin on a Microsoft Word document is 1.25 inches.) The idea began when the campaign’s founder reduced her own margins to save money on paper. Implemented on a much larger scale, this simple step could make a big impact on paper usage over time, especially if large corporations and universities sign on.

Here’s how to change your margins in Microsoft Word: Go to File and click on Page Setup. Using the arrows, decrease top, bottom, and side margins to .75.” Click “Default.” Click “yes” to make these your standard margin settings.

Finished documents will have smaller margins, enabling more text per page, and ultimately reducing the number of pages required.