I open the door to my suite in a rush to get to class when I step on today’s newspaper. I look across and see another newspaper at the door across from me. As I walk down the hall, there’s more of the same. Usually, three days later, half of them don’t move an inch. I walk into Bear’s Den, and I see several dozen on the rack. I walk past Cornerstone and see a stand, unnoticed by most and completely full for the next few days. I pace through the Danforth University Center, multiple stands still completely full. Simon Hall? More of the same. Hundreds of printed newspapers languish on racks across campus, never touched.

An article from Sept. 29 talks about sustainability on campus, and it was printed in 5000 newspapers, most unread. I collected data on as many stands as I could find, and found that two days after distribution, over 1600 copies were left over. Additionally, there are about 500 suites. Based on a small, informal, randomly selected sample of about 20 people, only about 25% read their papers, so 375 copies will be wasted; therefore, at least a total of 2000 copies are wasted per issue, as a rough estimate. Racks which get one 50-pack placed on them would have 48 left. That means 2 pickups out of 50 copies. 4%. I was unable to obtain Student Life’s distribution numbers, so I cannot track down all excess copies, and any estimate I provide is the minimum possible. I did not count distribution in Sam Fox or any off-campus locations, further demonstrating that this is a conservative estimate.

Publication groups at Wash. U. have a history of paper waste. Magazines such as Washington University Political Review and Frontiers are plagued with hundreds of undistributed copies and hundreds more that are not picked up. However, they are funded through Student Union, and there have been a few people dedicated to reducing this waste without affecting readership. Arjan Kalra, Budget Committee chair, implemented a program that reduced printing budgets to numbers that the groups have demonstrated can be distributed, and it has greatly reduced paper waste. When asked for comment, Arjan said, “Currently, SU is working with publication groups to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Hopefully StudLife can engage in more sustainable practices.”

As an independent newspaper, Student Life has the right to print however many copies they so please. Student Life encourages readers to recycle its issues, and within the Student Life office there is a “puppy rescue” donation box for papers. However, I remind readers of the old phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle.” The first step is to reduce unnecessary consumption. I call for a reduction in printing numbers. With an estimated minimum of 2000 copies picked up per issue, which adds up to at least 64,000 wasted copies per semester, I urge the newspaper to make dorm distribution an opt-in program and to reduce the number of stands they distribute to. A few stands around campus in places like Bear’s Den, the Danforth University Center and Olin Library are all that is necessary for the same number of people to read it. As an avid Student Life reader, I often pick up a copy in the Danforth University Center, a place where many people go every day. However, I find dozens in the Simon Hall basement, Crow Hall entrance, Brown 100 and numerous other places across campus where people do not tend to pick up copies. As a newspaper that has claimed to support the environment in the past, Student Life should commit to helping the environment in the future.