Office Supplies and Fabulous Prizes

Marketing and Communications wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that your old-brand stationery (that’s anything with any old logo, or without the new one) needs to be out of use as stationery January 1. There have been notifications along the way since we started rolling out the new brand, but now that the time is nigh, it’s time to start thinking about:

• Ensuring you have enough new supplies, and
• Ensuring you know what to do with your old ones.

Luckily, Heather Greenwood is on the case.

From Heather Greenwood, Recycling Cordinator:

Hello Keene State Branders!

A new era begins this January – an era full of newly branded owls and smart looking red Keene State logos. Whether you look forward to or dread the “Era of the New Brand,” it is inevitable. As of January 1st, everyone will need to rid themselves of the old logo and replace it with the newly minted “Wisdom to make a difference” logo.

I have no doubt that each and every one of you will recycle these materials and would rather stand on your head for fifteen hours than throw perfectly good recyclable paper in the trash.

Could we reuse the paper before recycling it?

ROCKS is holding a competition. This competition will be different than the office clean-out competition last spring. Instead of judging you on weight of paper recycled, we are going to award the person, team or office with the most creative, cost-effective way to reuse the old brand letterhead, envelopes and folders.

Here are a few examples:

• Use the letterhead in your MFP for one-sided print jobs
• Create a label with the new logo to stick over the old logo on old envelopes
• Make scratch pads for your office with the old paper
• Work with students in your department to create a large paper mache mascot
• Old business cards are great for back-pocket note paper. They hold up to a day’s worth of “things to do” while running around campus!
• Wallpaper your office

Here are a few websites with ideas:

• http://www.wisebread.com/22-ways-to-reuse-paper
• http://www.funinthemaking.net/category/reuse-paper/
• http://marvelousfacts.blogspot.com/2008/12/paper-dress-made-out-of-phone-book.html
• http://www.greenprophet.com/2008/07/recycled-wastepaper-basket/
• http://blog.makezine.com/2010/06/20/apartment-cart-and-more-made-out/

I encourage folks to tap into their creative side and come up with a great way to reuse the paper. The old brand material does not necessarily have to be used again as paper, but it does have to be reused. Anyone, group, department, or office can participate. Teams can be made across departments and groups on campus (1 PAT, 1 OS, 3 students, 4 faculty, 1 adjunct… you get the idea) or folks can work solo. I will send an e-mail in early October requesting submissions and outlining details on prizes, criteria and potential for “smack talking.” This means you have about two weeks to start forming teams, googling potential ideas, and to trial a few concepts.

The final judging will happen on America Recycles Day, November 15, 2012. At least one project/solution/idea will be announced as the winner of the Keene State Out with the Old, In with the New Brand Reuse Challenge (okay, I will work on the title).

If creativity is not your “thang,” then there are two other ways to participate:

1. REDUCE: Money Talks
   Can you reduce the amount of letterhead, envelopes, folders, etc. you or your office orders with the new logo? Many offices have boxes of the old logo letterhead, purchased at a time when written correspondence was more common. The trend towards electronic communication means that much of the original letterhead has become obsolete. Maybe 5 or 10 years ago your office purchased 10 boxes of letterhead, of which you have 5 full boxes collecting dust in your storage closet. When you purchase the new letterhead, try purchasing 4 boxes instead.

2. RECYCLE: Work Orders are your Friends
   Send ROCKS a work order to organize a large recycling pick-up of your brand materials. We will pick items up in their boxes and/or drop off toters for you to fill with loose materials. We can make sure materials get donated and/or recycled. Try to give us a week’s notice before your scheduled old brand purge. You can specify as many details as you wish in the work orders: “ROCKS: we are doing an office clean out at 2:45 on Monday afternoon and would like either containers or people to stop by to remove all recyclable material, room 1529” or “ROCKS misc. pick-up for lost and found clothing in recycle room on ground floor.” For stationary pick-ups you can just put “ROCKS misc. pick-up: please remove 8 boxes of old stationary and business cards from the hallway outside room ___.” Feel free to use this system as much as you would like during the year for any recycling needs.

Contact me if you have questions or comments. A more detailed description will arrive in your emails this October. I will post a few things about paper recycling/reuse on our Facebook (www.facebook.com/ROCKSRecycling) and Twitter accounts (@ROCKSRecycling).

I look forward to some really creative and crazy ways to reuse the old brand paper!