Johannesburg, 22 Sep 2016
Spring has arrived and with the excitement of warm weather, long days and picnics looming large, we are reminded that September is Arbour Month and we should all look to do our part in preserving the environment, says Nolan Sandham, Managing Director, ACTNET.
Arbour Week is celebrated annually around the country with schools, businesses and individuals all keen to do their bit in an effort to show their support for the green movement. But it is about so much more than simply planting a tree and forgetting about it until next year. Arbour Month is about environmental stewardship; it is about doing everything that we can to leave a greener earth for our grandchildren.
It's no secret that trees play a massively important role in our survival, with the surge in technology and increased focus on sustainable distribution, environmental conservation has become so much easier - and it extends much further than planting a seed once a year.
Think about that last payslip that was e-mailed to you, or the online-contract that you signed or simply a document sent as a PDF. All of these, however small, are reducing our reliance on paper and thus reducing the number of trees that are cut down each year. Businesses and individuals alike are becoming more conscientious about going green,and while it might not seem like much, it all has a positive effect on the environment.
If the idea still hasn't hit home, here's an example: Conservatree estimates that one tree makes 8 333 sheets of typical copy paper. The Radicati Group believes that an average of 205 billion e-mails were sent every day in 2015. Assuming the typical e-mail is one page in length, 205 billion divided by 8 333 equals (roughly) 24 601 000 trees saved each day. Even if 50% of those e-mails were printed, it still means that more than 12 million trees were spared, every day, thanks to e-mails.
It's not an exact science, and there are other factors that come into play, but it is also only one form of technology that has helped preserve the environment in some small way. Bidvest Data ACTNET's electronic document delivery (EDD) allows documents such as payslips, invoices, statements and contracts to be distributed electronically to multiple devices. Not only does this benefit the environment, but it cuts down the cost that companies spend on printer ink, paper and storage space as everything is available at the click of a button.
Email insider says that: "E-mail and electronic document delivery is a green choice because it eliminates the use of paper and fossil fuels used in delivery. Our research shows that marketers save 60% to 80% by switching their paper-based marketing programs to e-mail."
Aside from the fact that paperless delivery has the potential to save millions of trees each year, it is also easy, secure and convenient. While it is important to remember the significance of Arbour Month - although it couldn't hurt to help by planting a tree - technology has provided us with an opportunity to make a difference on a much greater scale.
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