Friday, 1 November 2013

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #27 Fully Utilise Your Home Computer

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #27 Fully Utilise Your Home Computer


Since households became users of home computers our paper consumption has sky-rocketed. Yet computers are the very tools that should replace paper. On our computers we can use word processors (replacing typewriters), spreadsheets (replacing accounting journals), desktop publishing programs (replacing literal cut and paste artwork), databases (replacing card systems), emails (replacing snail mail), and presentation programs (replacing posters), just to name the major tools. Everything can be stored on our computer and a backup copy made in case of a breakdown. These days we can store immense amounts of data on very small devices – so small they’d fit in your handbag. There’s no need for large filing cabinets and no need to print everything.
It takes a different mindset but it can be done. Next time you sit in front of your computer, look at it as a storage device for your files. Unhook the printer for a week or two and challenge yourself not to print anything to see how well you can cope without paper. You may actually find you end up better organised. Now wouldn’t that be nice!

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