Staples and RIT Team Up for Environment

At RIT, the focus is always on the future.  But this latest effort could help shape the way businesses operate for years to come. 

"This is really a very exciting opportunity for us to think much, much further ahead.  Think about the future and what the office of the future is going to look like," says Nabil Nasr, Director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability.

For the past 12 years, RIT has been working with Staples to evaluate products and make sure they aren't harming the environment.   But now, they will be helping develop new products with a green twist.  "It's a new opportunity to take a look at design of product.  So rather than just evaluating product at end of life trying to take a look and fold info we've received over the past 12 years into new product design," says Brian Hilton, Director of the Staples lab

They'll be looking at everything from paper to printers and other high tech equipment.  "We typically see great value from involving students in research so I expect a great number of students will work on this project," says Nasr.

A lot of the research for Staples "office of the future" will be done inside the Golisano Institute for Sustainability building.  It's currently under construction and is set to open later this fall.  The building itself will meet strict environmental standards, setting the stage for the work to be done inside.