A ton of paper made from recycled paper, rather than "virgin" paper, saves approximately:

-- 17 trees.

-- 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough to power the average home for six months).

-- 7,000 gallons of water.

-- 60 pounds of air pollution particulate.

-- 3 cubic yards of landfill space.

(Garbage Magazine May/June 1990) The Undergraduate Student Government Department of Environmental Affairs would like to thank the Penn State community for recycling its mixed office paper. Your efforts have made Penn State's recycling program a model for other universities to follow. Unfortunately, it may shock you to find out what happens to the waste paper you put in the recycling bins. Most is being converted into products which may not be re-recycled (such as paper towels and toilet paper) or is piling up in warehouses waiting for an increase in demand. According to Time magazine (Sept. 14, 1992) 100 million tons of recyclable materials in the U.S. are actually being incinerated due to a lack of demand of recycled-content paper. When faced with the decision of buying paper, you can either buy "virgin" paper that is made from trees or you can buy recycled-content paper that is made from a combination of trees and waste paper that you collect.

What can you do to help? Complete the loop and buy recycled-content paper and encourage your department or college to do the same. Today's high-grade recycled paper is safe for use in photocopiers and laser printers and is virtually indistinguishable from "virgin" paper. The Penn State Bookstore and the General Store both offer recycled-content paper at prices comparable to the paper you currently use. You can also get a list of local merchants and paper suppliers by contacting the Environmental Policy Subcommittee at the USG office. Thank you again for doing your part in helping Penn State to become an environmentally conscious institution.