Educators are no different from the majority of people in assuming that their work has no environmental impact. However, mass campaigns involving large scale productions of printed materials, distribution along road or air networks, on the spot distribution of ephemeral materials including pamphlets, newspapers, plastic carrier bags and so on all have their environmental consequences.
These impacts can be mitigated through a more conscious consideration at the planning stages.
Production methods which take account of water and waste management; acquisition and replacement of raw materials; and frugal consideration of the size and number of the publications required can all reduce impact.
In a number of cases, those involved in production will want to consider the decentralization of printing in order to reduce distribution impacts. This has been made much more feasible by the Internet, which enables print ready proofs to be distributed electronically to the point of use.
Of course, good forward planning can allow even more traditional means of distribution such as postal services. During pre-election campaigns, last minute production of materials inevitably results in use of the most wasteful means of distribution – such as large scale air or road courier services - adding costs and driving up environmental impacts.
At the point of contact between educators and the public, more care is likely to be taken to ensure that good citizenship is practiced in relation to litter, noise control, crowd management at mass events or interactions with the local authorities and with neighbours.
