Andrea Hicks, Office of Sustainability

FACULTY | STAFF IMPACT

Ask Andrea

A monthly column from Andrea Hicks, director of sustainability education and research, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Hanson Family Fellow in Sustainability

I’ve been thinking about my school supplies and the best way to take notes in class. From a sustainability standpoint, is it better to use a paper and pen or an iPad?

This is a very relevant question to campus life, particularly with the proliferation of portable electronic devices. In 2020, there was a life cycle assessment published that investigated this very question. The authors focused on a paper notebook, an Apple iPad, and a reMarkable tablet. Even when only allocating a portion of the life cycle environmental impacts for the iPad and tablet to note taking, both devices had a greater environmental impact than a paper notebook. This assessment is also a function of other considerations, such as how big you write in your notebook and the mix of renewable and non-renewable electricity sources used to charge the digital devices. But in general, a paper notebook is the less environmentally impactful way to take notes.

Speaking of comparing electronics with print options, there has been a push in recent years to consider e-textbooks instead of paper texts. One often cited reason is that the e-texts can be more affordable for students than the equivalent paper version. Some studies have pondered this same question with respect to comparing reading e-books on a digital device versus with reading a physical book. The results are a bit more complicated because they depend on how many e-books can be read on a device during its lifetime, and also conversely how many times a physical book will be read. Regardless, there is a thriving market for used textbooks on any college campus and they present a potential option for reducing one’s environmental impact.

To submit a question for future columns, please email me at info@sustainability.wisc.edu.

P.S. Please consider joining me on Wednesday, Oct. 26, for the first annual UW–Madison Sustainability Symposium. From 1–5:30 p.m. at the Discovery Building, enjoy lightning talks, posters, a keynote address, and a reception. Learn more and register to attend.