Ricoh USA, Inc. has extended its partnership with Columbia University and its onsite print shop, Columbia Print, to enhance the university’s environmental sustainability efforts. Experts from Columbia Print and Ricoh collaborated to help right-size technology use in Columbia’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and School of Nursing to reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 34 tons, saving the equivalent of 1,617 trees. In addition to this, Columbia Print recently switched to 100% post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled paper for color prints and entirely tree-free paper for black-and-white applications.
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“At an institution where world-class research on, and education about, sustainability is being conducted daily, we have a responsibility to put that knowledge to practical use,” said Miguel Pagan, Executive Director, Administrative Services, Columbia University. “We owe that to the many communities we touch, and Ricoh understands that sense of responsibility and of pride. They have helped us make incredible strides, including this most recent step, incorporating environmentally friendly solutions while meeting our customers’ needs and maintaining costs. This has been the perfect intersection of Ricoh’s digital services, our needs, and the two organizations’ shared values.”
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As an information management company, Ricoh leverages its imaging technology innovations to make data accessible to people through print and digital media, to provide more insight than ever before. The company helped Columbia analyze data within its Irving Medical Center’s School of Nursing and Department of OBGYN that ultimately led to a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions due to more efficient device usage. This included configuring an action plan that would help reduce the use of electricity by triggering features such as a low-energy consumption sleep mode after a period of inactivity. Furthermore, many of Ricoh’s devices are ENERGY STAR®-certified and carry an EPEAT Gold rating, which offer additional sustainability benefits and further reinforce Ricoh’s support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Established in 1754, Columbia is the oldest institution of higher education in New York State and the fifth oldest in the country. A storied institution, Columbia has frequently been at the forefront of progress and prides itself on being an early adopter of many environmental sustainability strategies, some of which have become accepted as industry best practices. In its first campus-wide sustainability plan released in 2017, Columbia committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% before 2020, a goal the University has since surpassed. Still, the university is always looking to build on that progress.
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