Senator Brady Gross, along with Director of Sustainability Becca Conn, are currently in the final stages of implementing a bill to change the default settings of campus printers to print double-sided. Both a part of the UW-La Crosse Student Senate, Gross and Conn feel the bill to be a progressive movement in terms of environmental sustainability.
Currently, campus printers are set to print simplex (single-sided) with the option for students to print duplex (double-sided), if they wish to. This new bill will change the current setting, defaulting printers to the double sided arrangement. According to staff data, approximately 2,600 pages are printed daily in the Murphy Library alone.
With the implementation of the new bill, “considerable amounts of paper would be saved,” Conn said, “reducing UW-L’s usage in half, significantly increasing campus sustainability.”
For students who do not wish to print double-sided, the option still remains to select single-sided.  Yet, most students are not aware of the current option for double-sided printing. Only about 15 percent of all pages printed on campus are printed in duplexity. The lack of awareness for students about their impacts on the environment will also change with the new bill, as posters will be posted on computers and various points around campus, informing students of their actions.
Authored by Gross and sponsored by Conn, the bill seems to be gaining momentum by other members of the UW-L community. Backed by the Student Senate, Gross presented the bill at a faculty meeting, where he received great support and forward initiative. In addition to other members of faculty, the bill also continues to attract support from students as awareness is spread to all corners of campus.
Initially only directed at Murphy Library, both Gross and Conn believe the environmental impacts can be achieved more successfully if the entirety of UW-L adopts the change. Despite the positive effect on the environment, the bill does not lower fees for students.
Senator Gross mentions that “paper is an inexpensive good,” which means student rates will not be affected much by this bill.
Of course, students wonder about the timing of the bill, specifically why the bill has been brought to the forefront recently.
Providing a dynamic angle as the Sustainability Director for the Student Senate, in addition to being a student leader, Conn believes “we need to change consumer actions, so why not make those changes now?”
As the Sustainability Director, Conn converses regularly with environmental organizations both on and off campus, always seeking to make a positive difference on the community.
“Change can be a good thing,” Conn said, “and this feels like a perfect step into the right direction.”
Both Gross and Conn feel proud and accomplished of their work together as they make a change to the UW-L campus.