[Air-L] effect of Internet on paper consumption?

[Hang Ryeol Na]

I thank you all, Lisa McLaughlin, Glenn Pass, Laur Kanger, Ben Spigel, Scott MacLeod, for the really helpful comments and information. One question still remains though. Can Internet really not contribute any to reduction of paper consumption? I agree with you, Laur Kanger, on the overall impact of technology with a larger view. But there is still a favorable argument on the Internet's role of cost saving with paper reduction, for example, an article from New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00EEDE153FF93AA15753C1A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 in which the author says 'A number of studies and surveys show that the average company saves about $1 a bill by moving from a paper-based system to an electronic system.'   I guess I will try to clarify, based on some case studies, how internet affected the paper consumption in terms of sustainable development, and in what conditions it can reduce it better.   Sincerely, Hang Ryeol Na

> Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 09:23:36 +0300> From: morgoth at ut.ee> To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-L] effect of Internet on paper consumption?> > If talking about sustainable development vis-a-vis internet commerce and> the use of paper, have You considered taking a wider perspective in> account? For example, even if studies WOULD show that e-commerce does> reduce the use of paper (as I see, there have been some works that cast> some doubts on that fact), the overall impact of ecological cost of> producing and constant renewing of ICT's and the infrastructure involved> might still render the positive results (in terms of paper use) negative.> > I think it was in Dordoy, A. & Mellor, M. (2001). Ch 68 „Grassroots> Environmental Movements: Mobilisation in an Information Age”. In> „Manuel Castells. Volume III. From the Informational City to the> Information Age” (2004), eds F. Webster & B. Dimitriou. London:> Sage, pp 248-264, where the authors cited Harpold & Philip who said> something along the lines "the environmental impact of producing ICTs is> very hard to assess". They didnät get to the bottom of the problem> though...> > Sincerely,> Laur Kanger
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