Serious question, remembering all the paper handouts from early digital art events

Back when I first joined online art communities, we still printed catalogs and maps for every local showcase. Now most events are fully digital, so we skip all that paper and ink. It feels weird not having a physical program, but I know it's better for reducing waste. My last big virtual show estimated they saved a whole tree's worth of paper just by going online.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sarah1mo ago

Heard companies waste more paper daily.

craig.reese26d ago

Felix has a point about the exact tree math, but it misses the bigger picture. Every single sheet that doesn't get printed is waste that doesn't happen. It adds up fast across thousands of events and companies. Sure, one catalog might be small, but you're stopping a whole system of printing, shipping, and throwing stuff away. The real win is cutting that constant flow of trash, not just saving one specific tree. Digital might not be perfect, but it definitely slashes the paper trail.

felix_jones1mo ago

A single pine tree produces roughly 10,000 sheets of paper. Your virtual show would need to avoid printing that many for one whole tree. Most event catalogs are only a few pages per person. Even a large showcase with hundreds of attendees doesn't come close. Going digital definitely cuts waste, but the tree saving claim is usually exaggerated. Still better for the environment, just not by that exact measure.