This session asked the theoretical question; if you can reduce paper consumption by 500,000 pages a year, but had to turn on an extra electricity consuming server to do it, would that be an environmentally sustainable practice? Or is consuming paper better than consuming electricity?

Focus shifted to how much energy goes into producing, shipping, and disposing of paper, as well as how much using paper is ingrained into our habits. In addition to all the energy needed to produce paper, there is also a secondary negative that producing paper requires cutting down trees.

The idea that electricity supply could be expanded in a green manner via implementation of a French-like nuclear program or more extensive solar power use seemed to tip the discussion in the direction that reduction of paper consumption had the possibility of being more impactful in the long run.