The email signature that saved the world.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
I can picture how this all started, someone was sitting at their desk trying to think of noncommittal ways for their company to give the impression that they were interested in the environment. Thus the phrase was born—born not out of necessity but rather desire—the desire to do as little as humanly possible. Soon variations on that sentiment spread and now it’s attached to the bottom of emails all across the world.
I like to picture an attorney sitting at their desk—their mouse hovering over the ‘print’ button until they come across the signature—‘Think before you print.’ Suddenly and without warning, the attorney begins to sob. They sit there blankly staring back at the glowing computer screen. The text jumps out at them, as they mouth the words:
“Think before you print.”
Another tear falls down their cheek,
“They’re right, they were right all along.”
From that moment on they become a crusader for the environment.