What's wrong with being a virgin?

Most people like to believe that the 300+ tons of paper per capita that we consume every year comes from "managed forests," or better yet, for every tree that is cut, two trees get planted right behind it. It's a nice thought, but it's really a fairy tale. Believe it or not, 71% of the world's paper supply is harvested from forests with ecologically and biologically rich habitats, and ancient forests. "Tree plantations host about 90 percent fewer species than the forests that preceded them." And just like with any monoculture, they comes with a host of problems such as bugs that are hard to erradicate due to the lack of biodiversity that usually takes care of the overpopulation of one particular species. What we can do is reduce our demand for virgin paper and practice the demand for recycled and tree-free paper. Find out more crazy statistics at www.environmentalpaper.com

. . . The brave new/old world of alternative fibers

Don't get me wrong, recycled paper is swell: it can be reincarnated a dozen times and it's produced with less energy and pollution than virgin paper. Having said that, the paper we know and use today (from trees) is *historically* a new invention. I have this picture in my head of a couple of guys, a long time ago in the 19th century, standing in front of a forest and beaming with joy at the idea of turning all that abundant, free-for-all wood into paper. As plentiful as wood fiber was back then, processing it is painstaking. You have to strip away the lignin (what bonds the fibers together and make the trees really strong) and then bleach, bleach, bleach to make it white. So how was paper made before then? There were many varieties made up of grasses, hemp, cotton (and cotton rags), kenaf and flax. Today these are called alternative fibers, or tree-free fibers and are sometimes concoctioned with recycled paper. Additionally, agricultural surplus and waste are now being used in the manufacture of some papers, such as bagasse (sugar cane), coffee, wheat, etc. and also mixed with recycled tree content. This is a great tree-free alternative to virgin paper too, because it decreases the burning of agricultural waste in the fields, decreases pollution and the demand for tree-paper pulp. To try out some of these papers, check out my new and improved Resources page.

Heavy metals don't rock

Metallic inks are cool looking and add sophistication to a printed piece. However, many metallic inks (and fluorescents and reds) contain heavy metals, such as lead, barium, chromium, mercury, copper, zinc and cadmium. These eventually make their way to the landfill and consequently the soil and groundwater, and then to humans and wildlife via ingestion, inhalation or absorption. Exposure to more than trace amounts can result in serious toxicity, not unlike listening to a heavy metal band ;-) Consider a safer alternative: if you must use metallic inks or fluorescent, work with your printer and/or ink company to try and match the ink you want without the use of heavy metals. To download a comprehensive list (.ai file) of the inks that contain heavy metals, check out our pal at www.re-nourish.com

Chlorine: how elemental is it?

Paper made from trees is bleached with chlorine. Period. That's how you get your bright white paper. But when combined with a carbon-based substance like, say, wood, it produces what's called "chlorinated organic compounds". Dioxins are the most commonly known, and the EPA likes to call it "the most potent carcinogen." (www.conservatree.com) Since 1988, the paper industry has switched from the type of chlorine that they've been using, called elemental chlorine (in gas form), to chlorine dioxide, which is a derivative. It prevents 92% of the dioxin released in the environment, but there is still 8% so that's not a zero emissions scenario. Even small amounts can harm humans and wildlife. Exposed fish and plants are consumed by humans. Fortunately, some folks came up with the idea of whitening paper using hydrogen peroxide, so there are now two non-chlorinated options for consumers : Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) and Processed Chlorine Free (PCF). They are similar in that neither use chlorine as a whitener in their manufacturing process, but a TCF paper is used to whiten virgin pulp while PCF paper is used to whiten paper with at least 30% post-consumer waste. Having a choice, go with PCF paper so you get to use less virgin stock.

Tip of the month: coated or non coated stock?

Coated stock has a thin clay coating that makes it look shiny and/or have a smooth look. This clay coating is thin, but if you think about how thin a sheet of paper is, the clay coating itself may account for half of that sheet's weight. Coated papers have different levels of brightness and finishes, such as gloss or matte. I personally think that gloss paper is a totally dated look unless is used in conjunction with high tech products and/or services. Some recycling facilities have a hard time recycling gloss paper, so it's best to avoid them if possible. Stick with the least amount of gloss that you can or better yet, go with uncoated paper.