Montgomery County has announced that a paper and printing reduction initiative introduced last year by Executive Isiah Leggett has resulted in $2.09 million savings for the County.  The initial goal was to reduce printing and paper usage by 15%. Statistics provided by the CountyStat program, an assessment and accountability program that monitors the effectiveness and efficiency of County government programs, indicated that Montgomery County had exceed its initial goal and saw reductions of 20%.  A September 24th News Release states,

The environmental impacts of the past year’s printing and paper reductions are: net energy savings of 3,811 BTUs (enough to power 42 homes per year); a reduction in greenhouse gases of 738,842 pounds of carbon dioxide (equivalent to 67 cars per year); a reduction in wastewater by 2,757,366 gallons (4 Olympic size swimming pools); and a reduction in solid waste by 240,784 pounds (equivalent to 9 garbage trucks). In addition, the County’s reduced paper purchases saved an estimated 436 tons of wood, which is equivalent to 3,052 trees.

One example of how County departments saved paper and printing costs can be found in the Department of Environmental Protection, which changed the way it provided construction-related solicitations to vendors. Instead of providing printed engineering drawings with solicitations, the department began to attach electronic copies of the drawings on CDs with detailed printing instructions for those vendors who need to print selected pages.

“I am very pleased with our progress on this initiative,” said Leggett. “Good government is important in Montgomery County, and CountyStat ensures that our programs and services are efficient and effective. Our taxpayers deserve the best possible value for their tax dollars, and with CountyStat overseeing our operations, I believe they are getting that.”