The S Word for Small Business

People love the idea of sustainability. But when we’re squeezed by the pressures of running a small business, it’s easy to let our focus on sustainability drift. So I’ve challenged myself to tackle it during my first few months in business, and will share my experiences along the way.

Conquer the Paper Mountain

A paperless office initially seemed like a straight forward idea. I liked it because paper was one of the few disposable consumables used in my kind of business. But execution came with challenges.

I chose not to have a printer.

This initially felt bold, daring even. How would I run a small business without a printer?

In truth, I’ve had a couple of aaagh moments—like when the bank wouldn’t accept forms filled out digitally. But in three months I’ve had to make two trips get something printed. On a straight cost-benefit basis, this comes out pretty good against the cost of printer, paper, ink cartridges and chucking stuff into landfill.

I’ve been using the Adobe Reader fill and sign and comment tools for pdf documents and track changes for word. They seem ok, but I’m all ears if anyone has a favourite mark-up tool they’d like to share.

But even without a printer, paper still landed on my desk.

People posted it to me, gave it to me, and printed stuff for me ‘just in case’.

Don’t get me wrong, I'm stoked this happens if the stuff coming on paper is mission critical. When it’s not, it feels like a waste. So I’ve come up with a solution for paper that doesn’t get the seven-year storage treatment (thanks IRD).

The first step was to capture what’s on the paper.

There’s a few apps around that turn your phone into a scanner. I use ScanBot because it’s simple, free and links to my dropbox, but I’d love to hear about other people’s favorites. 

Then deal with the paper.

After scanning, any paper with white-space gets a second life as note paper. I still find easier to work some things out with a pencil in hand, and I’m stoked to reuse paper for this instead of buy it.

Recycling’s great. But creating ways to reuse or repurpose, without trucking stuff around or going through another manufacturing process, is better.

Paper gets repurposed one last time when it’s turned into compost by hundreds of unpaid labourers. It’s extremely satisfying feeding unwanted mail to worms.

And the reward?

Now I save money, add less to landfill, only have one file system (digital) to look for stuff in, and my garden is flourishing. I also have a feeling of lightness because my desk’s never straining under a mountain of paper: clear desk, clear mind.

Free yourself from the tyranny—go paperless!