LEAD STORY: "Greening" the Publishing Industry

FEATURE STORY: Spotlight on Packaging

NEWS BRIEFS
a) Studying Sustainable Design in a Green Building
b) Technology & Paper Consumption Update
c) Wood Re-Use Generates Income
d) EPA & Other Government "Green" Purchasing Steps
e) FSC Faces Tough Decisions in Different Regions
f) Corporate Recycling and Buy Recycled Programs Inadequate
g) Ag-fibers Implemented and Examined
h) Sustainable Building Products Look to Increase Markets
i) When Building Codes and Sustainability Intersect

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS
Staples Day of Action
Tree Free Campus
buy recycled & ag conferences

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
LEED green building

LEAD STORY
"Greening" the Publishing Industry

Cornell University Press announced the adoption of new paper purchasing policies to reduce office paper consumption by twenty-five percent and require environmentally preferable paper -- made from post-consumer recycled, agricultural and chlorine free fiber -- for its book publishing. As part of the effort, it has notified all of its printers of its 2003 deadline and has asked printers and distributors to verify the environmental characteristics of its paper lines. Working with Resource Conservation Alliance (RCA), Cornell University Press hopes to use its own policies as a model to persuade other university presses to go "green." As one of the top ten university presses in size, Cornell University Press' commitment sends a strong message to the university book publishing market for the need for greater recycled paper options. (For a copy of RCA's factsheet on "greening" publishers, see Using Less Wood: Focus on Publishers.)

The Northeast Recycling Coalition, which in 1997 spearheaded a 10-state collaborative to increase newsprint's recycled content, lowered its recycled content goal for newspapers from 40 percent to 27 percent, according to "Northeast Publishers Commit to Revamped Recycling Goal" in Recycled Paper News, volume 11, number 11, August 2001. With this new minimum level, large newspapers and newspaper groups, such as Dow Jones, Gannett, Knight Ridder and the New York Times, representing 86 percent of the annual newsprint consumption in the Northeast committed to the agreement as of late July, 2001.

According to Reach for Unbleached September 2001 newsletter, Millwatch, Rolland announced the addition of a new Process Chlorine Free (PCF) publishing grade paper certified by the Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA) -- New Life Opaque 100.

Along with the PAPER initiative -- Co-op America, the Independent Press Association and Conservatree's campaign to "green" the magazine industry (see the RCA-News May 2001 lead story at ) -- these efforts indicate a growing focus on papers used by the publishing industries.

FEATURE STORY
Spotlight on Packaging

Waste News reported on August 31, 2001 in "MIT, Businesses Explore Embedded-chip Package Tracking Technology" about the potential to use a memory chip in product packaging as a way to improve sorting of recyclables. The chip could contain information about the product such as the packaging material which could eventually aid recycling centers in sorting the material. The development of "smart packaging" is one of several applications being investigated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Waste News reported on their website's "Trends" sections about the garbage scattered along Florida's roadways. According to the Florida Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, fast food packaging accounted for 18 percent, product and other packaging accounted for 14 percent and printed paper accounted for 4 percent of the litter found near Florida's highways.

Meanwhile, a recent report shows that containers and packaging ranked as both the most generated and most recycled municipal waste in 1999, according to Waste News' September 3, 2001 article, "Economy, Waste Generation Soared in Late 1990s, EPA Report Says." Americans generated 76 million tons of both containers and packaging, and of that 37 percent were recycled. EPA's study also revealed that while municipal garbage (one indication of our consumption patterns) reached a high of 230 million tons in 1999 -- a 7 million ton increase from 1998 -- the recycling rate remained flat at 28 percent over the same period.

According to a September 9, 2001 New York Times article, "Together at Last: Cutting Pollution And Making Money," companies have been reaping the economic benefits of reducing their packaging. In particular, manufacturers of deodorants, toothpastes and cold medicines have largely eliminated the cardboard packaging for tubes and bottles which has reduced both paper waste and the package costs.

a) Studying Sustainable Design in a Green Building
Sonoma State University opened its Environmental Technology Center in late August, according to the university's press release. The $1 million state-of-the-art facility is only one of a handful of academic buildings in the world designed specifically for the study, research and teaching of sustainable design. The "hands-on" environmental science laboratory and classroom includes wood reduction features such as rammed earth walls, recycled glass tiles, sunflower seed work counters, etc.

b) Technology & Paper Consumption Update
Students are the latest expanding group of users for "Palm Pilots" and other wireless hand-held devices which replace paper agenda notebooks/calendars, according to the September 4, 2001 Washington Post article, "Hand-held PCs Put to the Test: Schools Begin Cautiously Integrating Devices." While some schools are cautious in implementing policies to regulate the devices (which can store notes and access the Internet -- two potential concerns during test time), others are formally distributing them and integrating them in classes, including math, computer, and even english classes. Given that Palm Inc. and Compaq are offering the devices to schools for free or at discounted rates, it is not a surprise that some teachers have shifted their teaching methods to greatly increase the use of the hand-helds and significantly decrease the use of paper.

c) Wood Re-Use Generates Income
A September 4, 2001 Washington Post article, "Maryland Salvage Operation Culls Trash, Sells Treasure," details one example of a re-use operation that reduces the amount of wood and other products ending up in a landfill. The Re-Use Barn, redirects usable items -- usually enough to free up space for 24 tons of additional trash annually -- heading for the Charles County landfill to their retail location. The money collected goes to the Izaak Walton League, a nonprofit operation that contracts with the county for the right to sponsor the operation. By ensuring the reuse of these items -- books, windows, board games, furniture, etc., -- the operation advances one strategy to reduce the consumption of (new) wood products. (For more information on steps to reduce wood consumption, see RCA's website at woodconsumption.org.)

d) EPA & Other Government "Green" Purchasing Steps
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed adding 11 product categories, including office furniture to its Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines -- the federal buy recycled program -- reported Waste News on September 6, 2001 in "EPA Expands Guidelines for Agencies' Purchases of Recycled-content Products." (For more information, see EPA Proposed RMANs.) EPA has also adopted a new paper standard for its headquarters requiring 50 percent postconsumer fiber for white cover and text stocks and is encouraging other agencies to follow, according to EPP Update, Issue 9, August 2001.

EPA hired a market research firm in order to determine what motivates federal government purchasers to go green and to assess their knowledge on environmentally preferable purchasing, according to Green Business Letter's article, "EPA Study Shows Why Green Purchasing is a Tough Sell" in its September 2001 issue. Some of the insights uncovered in the report included: Executive Orders were not seen as mandates, agency-specific mandates were more likely to be followed than federal wide mandates, few recognized the term "environmentally preferable purchasing" (EPP), participants believed others were responsible for EPP and the environment is not a primary consideration in purchasing decisions.

A number of federal agencies comprise the new Federal Network for Sustainability (FNS) which champions best environmental practices such as green purchasing and greening copy paper supply," according to the September 2001, Volume 3 Issue 3 of WinterGreen, Steven Winter Associates' monthly update. The initiative has launched a website at federalsustainability.org.

On the local level, The Oregonian reported on September 17, 2001 in "New Standards Turn Portland Greener" that the city has adopted a building policy which requires buildings financed by the Portland Development Commission -- the city's urban renewal agency -- to meet basic LEED certification standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. And, Seattle has created a residential wood recycling pilot program which turns wood debris into wood chips, according to Waste News' September 27, 2001 article "Seattle Launches Program to Recycle Residents' Wood Debris."

(Visit Government Purchasing Project for information on other "green" government procurement efforts.)

e) FSC Faces Tough Decisions in Different Regions
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) received comments on its draft standards for certifying well managed forests in the southeastern United States -- which cover the four highest timber-producing states in the United States (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina). Forest conservation groups highlighted areas where the FSC standard fell short such as wetlands protection, pesticide usage, even-aged management, conservation of public lands, rare and sensitive species protection, water quality protection and industrial plantation (tree farm) conversions.

Controversial Malaysian timber barons are expressing their interest in FSC certification, because of potential economic benefits, according to "Malaysia Loggers Consider Turning Over New Leaf" reported by Reuters on September 4, 2001. Opponents of certification for these loggers raised concerns about their stance toward indigenous forest dwellers and other issues.

Meanwhile, World Wildlife Fund announced the creation of the Brazilian Forest Stewardship Council to certify local timber under the FSC label, according to Reuters' September 20, 2001 article, "Brazil Forms Eco-friendly Timber Certification Unit." Most of the Amazon rainforest -- one of the most biodiverse regions in the world -- is located in Brazil.

f) Corporate Recycling and Buy Recycled Programs Inadequate
Although 35 to 45 percent of waste is commercial, many companies continue to view recycling as too troublesome or costly, according to "So You Think You're Recycling at Work?" published in The Christian Science Monitor on September 10, 2001. While some companies have taken a lead in recycling, buying recycled, donating office furniture, reusing building materials and other efforts that reduce wood consumption, the lack of commercial recycling laws for much of the country leads to inconsistent environmental practices among corporations.

g) Ag-fibers Implemented and Examined
Indiana Bio-Composites formally changed its name to FlexForm Technologies on September 4, 2001 and is planning a plant expansion from 55,000 square feet to 148,000 square feet, according to AgFiber Technology News, Volume 3, Number 14, Issue 53, September 19, 2001. The company is a tier 2 supplier to the automotive industry of door panel moldings and interior parts made from natural fibers such as industrial hemp and kenaf fibers.

Meanwhile, Vision Paper -- a manufacturer of kenaf paper -- is still planning the world's first kenaf-based, totally chlorine free (TCF) pulp mill, according to "Visions of Kenaf Pulp Mill are Alive" in Recycled Paper News, volume 11, number 11, August 2001. Currently, Vision Paper rents time at several paper mills to produce its kenaf paper. A dedicated kenaf mill would be more cost competitive, allowing the price of the kenaf paper to come down and the market to expand.

h) Sustainable Building Products Look to Increase Markets
The "green" architecture movement is on fire, according to Environmental News Network's September 25, 2001 article, "Building the Future: Sustainable Materials Come of Age." According to the article, the market for independently certified products is expanding with the Certified Forest Products Council growing into a trade association of companies that supply products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The number of acres certified by the FSC has reached more than 8 million in the United States and more than 60 million worldwide -- another indication of the growing demand for sustainable products. In addition, "green" building product retailers have begun to sprout up, such as Seattle's Environmental Home Center.

Sustainable Business.com also explores the markets for green buildings, citing the use of environmental buildings by institutions such as Ford, Hines, Gap and the U.S General Services Administration in its article, "Can Green Be Gold?" But, according to this feature, green building product acceptance is slowed because the marketplace hasn't fully realized the value of "green."

i) When Building Codes and Sustainability Intersect
Environmental Building News highlights the relationship between sustainability and building codes in its volume 10, number 9, September 2001 issue. The article explores some of the reasons it is difficult to get code approval for a "green" building, such as the perception of risk (heightened when building officials are not knowledgeable about "green" technologies), the length of the code approval process for new products, the understaffing and limited time of code officials, lack of training on new, "green" products and processes and comfort in the status quo. A checklist for gaining approval on "green" designs includes sections on the approval process, engaging with the building department, resolving conflicts and closing strategies. For additional information on the topic, see RCA's policy paper at How Building Codes Affect Sustainable Development.

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS

The next Staples Day of Action is scheduled for October 25, 2001. Since the launch of the campaign, Staples has responded with "We Recycle" posters in their stores and by opening a "Green Store" in Seattle. But, with less than 12 percent of their products containing any recycled content, activists are hardly satisfied. For more information on the campaign, visit Stop Staples.

October 25, 2001 is also the day of the Tree-free Campus Campaign Kick Off. Rainforest Action Network, American Lands Alliance, Free the Planet, Sierra Student Coalition, Student Environmental Action Coalition, ReThink Paper, National Forest Protection Alliance, and Forest Ethics are working together to encourage students to launch a campaign to boycott Boise Cascade on their campus. For more information on the campaign, see RAN's Tree Free Campus.

Upcoming conferences include Massachusetts's 7th Annual Buy Recycled and Environmentally Preferable Products Vendor Fair and Conference on October 30, 2001, the North American Industrial Hemp Council's Membership Session on November 3, 2001, the 5th New Crops Symposium on November 10-13, 2001 and the 4th Annual Conference of the American Kenaf Society on November 15-17.

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has recently released the 288-page final edition of its LEED (TM) 2.0 Reference Guide. The guide is intended to provide support to those seeking certification under the LEED Green Building Rating System. The guide is part of a larger "reference package" and is available from USGBC for $400 (heavily discounted rates for USGBC members and workshop participants). See USGBC for more information.