STIRLING UNIVERSITY

Print management: reducing energy, carbon emissions and monetary soending for Stirling University staff.

There is a need for a reduction in carbon emissions. Carbon emissions, from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) have increased rapidly from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Carbon is mainly emitted as carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. It is one of the main drivers behind climate change. Climate change is due to an increase in the enhanced greenhouse effect. There are other gases which are emitted by the burning of fossil fuels, but carbon dioxide is one of the dominant gases. The greenhouse effect though is a natural process, and without it the earth would be very cold and unable and support life. The greenhouse gases increase the earth temperature by heating the earth. The increase in temperature has already been noticed and can now be seen in events such as in the increased flooding events and their severity, loss of biodiversity and an increase in natural disasters. Although there are some solutions to some problems, such as flooding barriers, it will always be preferable to prevent climate change in the first place rather than cure the problems it causes at a later date. Policies have, and continue to be put in place for reducing carbon emissions such as electrical appliance efficiency and building design.

This year Stirling University has begun work on the Carbon Trust�s Carbon Management Programme for Universities. The University is part of phase 4 of the programme which there are 16 other universities taking part. This includes universities such as Lancaster University, Hull University, Glasgow University and Liverpool University. The pilot study and phases 2 and 3 have included 49 British Universities already. The main aim of the programme is to address the issue of climate change, which is agreed, is now taking place by environmental scientists and the majority. Stirling University�s aim is to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by examining both the staff and students energy, waste and travel usage and where carbon emissions can be reduced. There is a large team working on this project from a variety of departments and backgrounds.

This dissertation will be to address and hopefully show that carbon emissions and monetary costs for electricity and print consumables can be reduced for staff printing on the Stirling University campus. This not only includes the burning of fossil fuels to generate the electricity, but also takes into account the carbon emissions from the printers and print consumables, their manufacture, distribution and disposal. Although print management software can not be used to assess and run this project, due to the softwares initial costs, if the potential electricity, carbon and monetary savings will be presented and future print management software may become a possibility. This dissertation will try and show that electricity, carbon and monetary savings could be made by restricting staff to printing from a communal printer or communal multi � functional device (MFD) in the following departments; accounting and finance. applied social science, aquaculture, biological and environmental sciences, computing science and mathematics, economics, education, English Studies, film, media & journalism, history, languages, cultures and religions, law, management, marketing, nursing and midwifery and psychology.

My email address is [email protected]