EcoFriendly Blog

Protect Our Environment

I started my Environmental Mission at the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, 1990, after seeing Connie Chung on TV state that 60% of our landfill problems were due to paper and printing waste.

The next day, I saw 100 middle school kids celebrating Earth Day, marching around Manhasset and Port Washington on Long Island, NY and I was hooked.

These middle school kids were 14-15  years old and wanted a better environment for their future.

At that time, the Fresh Kills Landfill,  in Staten Island,  was over 10 stories high with garbage, and had to be closed for fear that the airplanes would hit their landfill while approaching Newark Airport.

Also,  barges were sending our  NY garbage to distant cities, which I thought was unfair.

I decided that I would concentrate on the most environmental thing I could do,  and that was promote environmental paper and printing that used 100% Post-Consumer Waste Recycled paper. By using 100% PCW paper, we were not making matters worse.

In 1990,  when I started, no one even knew what 100% PCW paper was.

YOU NEED TO KNOW THE ENVIRONMENTAL TERMS TO BE GREEN.

It is  paper  made from previous printed paper, that went to the ultimate consumer, and was used by those consumers,  for it's intended purpose. A law firm, xeroxing documents that were used in meetings, and now these documents were no longer needed,  is a good example. That is 100% PCW waste.

The decision by the owner of that building or the company itself is three fold. The waste could be incinerated, sent it to our over crowded landfills, or made back into new 100% PCW paper,  keeping the paper garbage from increasing our waste problems. ie (recycle it).

I chose the latter. By promoting 100% Post-Consumer Waste (100% PCW) paper, I was encouraging my clients to promote recycling the "printed waste".

Paper that is not printed on, like clippings of the paper, when the paper rolls are cut at the mill, is called  Pre-Consumer Waste. This scrap paper never came near a landfill or incinerator plant. It never creates a recycling problem.

When mills say their paper is 100% recycled, with 30% Post-Consumer waste, that paper is only 30% recycled.  The other 70% is pre-consumer waste.You need the new paper to be made from all 100% Post-Consumer Waste, to be 100% recycled.

The government contracts for 100% recycled paper and printing are for 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, not a mixture of Post-Consumer Waste and Pre- Consumer Waste.

So, I push 100% PCW, and I have done that for 20 years. I was environmental before it became fashionable. I started at the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. I envisioned the environmental movement, and although the government is not mandating 100% PCW paper yet, I see a lot of firms asking me for it.

Using non environmental paper or 30% post-consumer paper,  uses more energy to make the paper, and a lot more water. Using 100% PCW helps our landfills, and uses less of our resources to make the paper.

My websites (www.gregbarberco.com) and (www.ecofriendlyprinter.com) are pushing the most environmental paper. We have the appropriate environmental emblems to add to your job. I can send these emblems to you or your designer,   electronically.

They include.

100% PCW
100% PCF
Soy Inks
100% Non Toxic Toner
Wind E. This is for Wind, BioGas or Solar.
FSC


IS FSC THE MOST ENVIRONMENTAL PAPER?

I say no, But, I say FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), is needed. I would like my clients to use FSC paper that is 100% PCW.

FSC means the mills are not destroying the earth and forests. But, you can buy FSC paper that is also 100% PCW, and the bleaching of this paper can be 100% Processed Chlorine Free (PCF).

PCF means the paper is bleached with Oxygen or Hydrogen Peroxide, and not Chlorine Dioxide. That also means you don't create (Dioxins), and poison our fish, wildlife and ourselves.

Chlorine, mixed with other chemicals in the paper making stage will create dioxin. 100% Processed Chlorine Free bleaching, will not create dioxin.

 Only 100% PCW paper is Processed Chlorine Free. 30% PCW is (ECF) bleached. That stands for Elementally Chlorine Free. It sounds great, but is not.

So check out the name of the paper that is marked FSC, when you think you are protecting our environment. Ask me what I think of your paper choice. Sometimes, you have no choice, if 100% PCW does not exist in the color paper you have chosen. I have talked clients into printing the color background they need on 100% PCW/100% PCF paper, so that  my client uses the most environmental paper.

I promote FSC paper that is 100% PCW and 100% PCF. I am guessing 95% of the readers of my blog thought FSC certified printing meant the printer was using the most environmental paper and the best bleached paper.

And, the mills that make the paper I promote use renewable energy, when making these grades. Wind, or BioGas is used at my featured mills. This is substantiated by Green E certification.

The inks we use are soy or vegetable based for offset printing and 100% non toxic toner, for our digital printing.

We recycle our waste, and we do not use chemicals in our printing.

We also offer Tree Free Paper,  and paper made from Rock & Minerals. The R & M paper does not use water in making this new line of tree free paper. You can recycle  the rock & mineral paper with your normal white paper.

GREEN TIPS FOR MORE GREEN INFO.

More to follow. I will update this section with Green Tips for printing. Click the Green Bar in the middle of the Home Page.