Innovative companies today are prioritizing sustainability and building a better future. A sustainable hotel helps care for the planet by consuming fewer resources and avoiding toxic waste. Here are the facts and sources behind MDO’s Sustainability calculations.
Trees
– On average, a tree can produce 17 reams of paper but takes about 100 years to grow (Source: Paperless Productivity)
– Trees release oxygen and absorb greenhouse gasses, meaning saving trees leads to purifying the air.
Air Pollution
– Many air pollutants are produced by paper and print industry. The paper and pulp industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gasses among U.S. manufacturing industries (Source: Science Direct and Pulp and Paper Canada)
– The paper industry is responsible for 9% of the total emissions of carbon dioxide from manufacturing industries (Source: Two Sides)
– The production of 17 reams of paper releases 110 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (Sources: Paperless Productivity and Kibart)
Water
– Pulp and paper is the third largest industrial polluter to air, water, and land in North America and is the fifth largest consumer of energy (Source: EfileCabinet)
– Paper manufacturing plant would use about 3 gallons of non-recycled water to produce one sheet of copy paper (Sources: The World Counts and Illinois Library)
Landfill
– Paper makes up 26% of landfills and degradation produces methane, a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat trapping capacity of carbon dioxide (Source: EPA)
– Landfills are the source of 34% of methane released and the single largest source in the U.S. Not printing saves cubic yards of landfill space (Source: NPR)
Gasoline
– Paper manufacturing and transport involves burning of gasoline to power (Source: U.S. Energy Information Association)
– Paper produced in one part of the country needs shipped using train and trucks that consume gasoline.
Energy
– Pulp and paper production is the fifth largest consumer of energy in North America (Sources: Green America and Canada Energy Regulator)
– The energy required to produce 10 sheets of paper can be used to run a refrigerator for 143 days.
