A paper reduction challenge has been issued to the schools of Border Land School Division with the use of approximately 8.5 million copies of paper.

The division looked at paper counts calculating the approximate copy total and equated it to around 511 trees.

"So we decided to introduce the paper reduction challenge to all of our schools," said Superintendent Krista Curry." This is just to bring awareness, and can you come up with some ideas in your building to try and reduce the number of copies you make."

In the challenge some suggestions were given including printing on both sides of the paper, reducing font sizes to fit more type, reusing scrap paper, and looking at digital alternatives.

Though there isn't a prize for reducing the amount of paper used, Curry says thinking long-term and helping make a difference for future generations is incentive enough.

Around this time next year, the division will look back at the numbers and see if they've succeeded in reducing their paper numbers.