As defined in wikipedia, webform “allows a user to enter data that is, typically, sent to a server for processing and to mimic the usage of paper forms.” By it’s very definition a web form can help to improve the environment.
How much paper can be made from a tree? Or, how many trees are required to make a certain amount of paper? It’s very difficult to answer these questions directly and the best that can be obtained are ballpark estimates. In the 1970s a report by the Conservatree estimated that a ton of newsprint paper saves 17 trees. This is a rough estimate. News paper isn’t made of the same tree materials that office paper is made of.
It’s difficult to make exact calculations on converting trees to paper as paper is made from a mix of trees. Some are hardwood, others are softwood. Some are young trees while others are old growth. Some are wide trees while others are skinny trees. Some paper is made from sawdust.
Whether or not we can calculate exactly how many trees can be saved by switching from paper forms to web forms isn’t an issue. No one can deny that the environmental impact of corporations and government switching from printed forms to online web forms would be significant.
Therefore, all corporations and government should be encouraged to use web forms wherever possible instead of paper forms. Imagine the savings that would result if every year hundreds of millions of government forms were converted to web forms. The environmental impact would be astronomic.
If all corporations joined the drive to move to a “paperless” society and stored all their information in electronic format as well as keeping all records in electronic format then hundreds of millions more sheets of paper would be conserved each year. Wherever possible corporations should issue each other web invoice forms instead of paper forms. All accounting records should be stored in electronic format. Services such as Createforms.com can help save the environment if used by government and businesses.
Kyle Ware is the marketing manager of a leading software development company for the past 10 years.
Kyle Ware recommends the following web software to help the environment:
Web Form Maker
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