Go Digital to Go Green

earthfilm small 1024x916 Go Digital to Go GreenIn today’s age, there are numerous ways to be environmentally friendly, or “go green.”

Create Digital Versions of Media Resources

If your school still depends on physical copies of videos, images and audio clips for classroom use, it is time to rethink your strategy. By converting your physical library to digital format, your school will become more environmentally friendly.

Since most districts have a limited number of copies of media resources, these copies often need to be transported from one school to another. This means that someone has to drive back and forth between schools picking up and delivering requested media, wasting gas and man-hours in the process.

Alternatively, with a digital library of your media resources, teachers will be able to simply click on a link from their computer to access the desired material. Since the material is stored online, there is no need for someone to deliver the content and it is no longer an issue if two teachers at two different schools both want the material on the same day.

Use Less Paper

Printing costs can eat up a large portion of a school’s budget. But with a commitment to go digital, your school can reduce these costs and save the planet at the same time. By using a combination of email and digital signs, it is possible to keep visitors, students, family, teachers and staff informed of important school news and events without having to send flyers home with students. Flyers often end up in a crumpled mess at the bottom of student’s backpacks, never to find their way to the parents.  By emailing a version of the information directly to parents, you can ensure they will see it while maintaining a commitment to creating a greener school environment.

For districts using mobile devices, student handouts no longer need to be printed out either. Instead, they can be electronically delivered directly to students’ mobile devices. eTextbooks can also be used instead of traditional printed textbooks. Printed textbooks are a huge drain on the environment – they require large amounts of paper and must be shipped to the schools where they will be used. In contrast, etextbooks don’t require any printing and can be downloaded from your computer. As an added benefit, etextbooks are much lighter and easier for students to carry with them.

Move to the Cloud

When creating a digital school environment, you will need somewhere to save all your new digital resources. There are a few ways to do this: invest in a server or opt for cloud hosting. With a server, your school will need to invest time and money into running and maintaining it. Servers require the use of electricity and must be kept at a certain temperature to prevent them from overheating.

The greener option is to use a cloud hosted system. Instead of having to maintain your own server, someone else will do it for you, saving you time and electricity costs. Additionally, with a cloud system, your content is accessible from anywhere – just like a physical version would be.

What ways has your school found to go green?


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