3 Steps to a Paper Light Notary Business
Originally posted 2/24/23
No matter your stance on the condition of our planet or the responsibility of course correction by world governments, I am sure you have taken some steps towards being less wasteful. Maybe it's just bringing your own bags to the grocery store to avoid the $.10 fee. That's still a step. I myself have been trying, for the last few years, to be as waste free as possible. My efforts have ebbed and flowed throughout the last few years, but it is still a major priority in my life. With all the products and materials that contribute to the world's waste available to debate, today let's just talk about the paper.
Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S. Americans use 85 million tons of paper a year - about 650 pounds per person. American businesses use around 21 million tons of paper - with about 750,000 copies made every minute. www.sccmo.org
These statistics are astounding, yet, not surprising. If you are a notary public like me, then you have seen, worked with, and created tons of paper waste. There's no real way around that. So, the idea of working towards a paper-free business seems unattainable. I get it. Still, I want to share with you some steps you can take to lessen the impact of paper waste in your business.
I first want to share with you a growing process of notarizations that require zero paper. That process is called Remote Online Notarization ( R.O.N). California remains at least two years away from meaningful and protected legislation to allow R.O.N. to be practiced in California. There are 37 states that currently allow R.O.N. If you are in a RON state, I would love to introduce you to my friend and colleague, Amy Seitz, CEO of Cyberizit, a R.O.N. platform for remote online notaries. Check them both out.
Map provided by American Land Title Association Blog.
If you are in California or any of the other 12 states that do not yet have working legislation, fear not. There are still steps you can take to minimize YOUR paper waste.
Step 1. Digital Journal
This way of journaling has been a lifesaver. I use The Notary EJournal. I am linking the website here because if you don’t already know about Nick Colvill and his amazing platform, I am thrilled to introduce you to it. The Ejournal allows you to use your phone or tablet as your journal. I could spend an entire blog post talking about this but I would encourage you to check it out. You need to buy a digital thumbprint reader that works with the platform. Let me tell you, no more heavy journals, messy ink, or the fatigued hands of signers signing the journal 2x more than the documents. It's remarkable. I use my iPad and my apple pen. Most people love the smooth easy signing that it creates. Check it out if you want to both improve your impact on paper waste but also your efficiency at a signing.
Step 2. Digital Promotion
It's the way of the world, right? Social media, email, websites, and more. Paper marketing is going the way of the buffalo. A terrible saying but it's true. There is still some value to paper marketing but your reach has expanded so much further than your zip code by using online platforms to market your business. I would encourage you to strap in and really start investing in creating marketing materials to share on social media sites, LinkedIn, Alignable, Google, and beyond. As a business owner, you have more of an opportunity to have a one-on-one relationship with the client through social media. I have recently changed my social media management platform to Loomy. Check it out for helping to streamline your social media marketing strategy for a reasonable cost.
Step 3: Invest in a Good Shredder
Ok, we can’t stop all paper that comes into our spaces. It's just not attainable in this business, but we have the power to control how we dispose of that paper. Having a really good shredder in your office or home office is like having a magic wand. You can use shredded paper in composting or as ground cover in a garden. It can be recycled down to reusable material. You can use it for crafts or small animal bedding. The thing is, it's more useful in smaller pieces. Check out this shredder if you are interested.
There are many other steps you can take to help cut back on paper and plastic waste. Carry with you reusable straws, cutlery, and cloth napkins. When you are on the road jetting from signing to signing, stopping for fast food could be easy. You could ask them to skip the straw, napkin, and cutlery. Boom! What an impact. If you want to learn more about reducing your carbon footprint, fighting climate change, and supporting waste reduction, I encourage you to check out the links below.
I hope you found this article useful and helpful and that it sparked your interest in how to have more sustainability in our business practices. Of course, as always, I would love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to shoot me an email or reach out via the website chatbot.
Until next time- Try a Greener way of doing business today.
Jennifer Cooper- JKC Mobile Notary
