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Green Books for Authors: Getting Techie
Real recycled paper: post-consumer recycled
“What we consider to be recycled paper is paper that is generally and honestly taken from the waste stream—meaning somebody, a consumer, used it for its initial intended purpose. They then put it in a recycling bin where it got collected with other paper to be bundled and baled so it could be sent to a paper mill where it got made into paper once again. Old fibers that were used in the process of making paper went through their intended purpose and then got made into paper again. That, in the true sense, is recycling.” (Source: Tom Kemper, CEO & Founder, Dolphin Blue and beloved Green Guide Girls’™ Collective Wisdom Team™ member, from The Green Guide Girls: Guide to Book Publishing)
Post-consumer recycled paper (PCR), like those referred to, above, comes from the post-consumer waste (PCW) stream such as the office paper you recycle. The PCW or PCR letters are clues to help you recognize that these papers use fewer trees than non-recycled papers. When you see “100% PCW” or “100% PCR” describing the paper you are proposing to use for your book, you will know that no new trees were cut down to make the paper. No virgin fibers were used to produce the paper.
Regarding pre-consumer recycled papers, be on the “look out”. “There has always been a misunderstanding because there are many providers of recycled products in the paper industry. There is a lot of loosely thrown about terminology that says paper is recycled or it contains recycled material.” However, in the paper mills, rolls of paper break during the manufacturing process, and “the paper is again deposited into the pulping vat under the mill floor where it is re-pulped to become paper again. It is really not recycled. It is using the resource being used initially to create the paper. It is not recovered from the waste stream. It is really not recycled even though it gets labeled ‘recycled’. This mis-labeling is misleading and the recycled paper is of no environmental value.” (Source: Tom Kemper, CEO & Founder, Dolphin Blue and beloved Green Guide Girls’™ Collective Wisdom Team™ member, from The Green Guide Girls: Guide to Book Publishing)
Covers for “The Paperback Writer”
Most of the publishing industry uses the standard of a maximum of 10% post-consumer recycled content for the covers of soft-bound books. The Green Guide Girls™ along with some of the leaders in the “green” book publishing world, Tom Rohlfing at Pinnacle Press, Inc. and Deborah Bruner at New Leaf Paper, discovered and figured out a way to make covers for paperback books 100% post-consumer recycled. Take a look at the cover of The Green Guide Girls: Guide to Book Publishing to see an example of this.
Carbon sequestration
Sequestering carbon is the process by which trees capture carbon dioxide from the air. Trees actually uptake carbon from the air (like “inhaling through their leaves”) in order to photosynthesize and create oxygen for us to breathe. Plant a Tree USA™ affectionately refers to trees as “mean green carbon-reducing machines”™ due to their sequestering uptake of carbon pollution from the air. The sequestration of carbon is why the green book publishing industry makes every effort to protect our forests. Forests have a huge role in not just beauty and habitat; forests cleanse our air and trees are great “carbon storage centers.”
Eco-endorsements
The FSC, Forest Stewardship Council, is an environmentally credible forest products certification and labeling program, “developed and defined by the conservation community,” says Tyson Miller, Director of The Green Press Initiative.
The Forest Stewardship Council certification logo identifies paper whose virgin fiber comes from responsibly managed forests. FSC sets the highest standards for defining “responsible forest management,” namely, forestry that is environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable. While the FSC focused on sustainable virgin fiber sources for most of its history, it recently began certifying papers with high post-consumer recycled content. The FSC requires certification from everyone in the supply chain—from logger to printer. One environmentally weak link in the chain and it’s not FSC certified. (Source: New Leaf Paper)
Ancient Forest Friendly (AFF)™ is a designation to get excited about, as it represents the most comprehensive standards for environmental responsibility in the paper industry. To earn the AFF designation, a paper must be manufactured with a high percentage of post-consumer waste and not contain any virgin fiber from old-growth, ancient or endangered forests. Any virgin fiber in the paper must be both FSC certified and assessed to not originate from endangered forests. Bleaching methods must be “chlorine free,” meaning without the use of chlorine or chlorine compounds. To find out how you can use Ancient Forest Friendly™ paper and the logo, visit www.marketsinitiative.org (Source: New Leaf Paper)
Paper can be made using wind, solar power, water power or other renewable energy sources
Renewable energy is power that is made available using resources which can be replenished, such as wind, sun (solar-powered), water (hydro-powered) and even from the decomposition of waste. These resources are “greener” than fossil fuels, as their use creates less pollution.
There are certifications for paper that will tell you if it was made using renewable energy. These include Green-e® Certified Renewable Energy which is the nation’s leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy products in the U.S., and Biogas certification verifies that energy is sourced from the decomposition of waste, converting a waste stream and potent greenhouse gas into an energy source. (Source: New Leaf Paper)
Think de-ink
De-inking is the process of removing “applied inks, finishes, glues, and other contaminants from wastepaper in order to extract the cellulose fiber” (New Leaf Paper website). This is a necessary and extensive process that occurs during the production of recycled paper.
Even one drop of ink makes you think about the VOCs
Vegetable and soy based inks emit lower VOCs which decrease air pollution. Also known as VOCs, volatile organic compounds are chemicals which are harmful to humans and the earth. They contribute to air and water pollution when they escape into the air through evaporation. Vegetable and soy based inks are environmentally friendlier alternatives to petroleum-based inks. It is also easier for the de-inking part of the paper recycling process when vegetable and soy based inks are used.
The eco-audit: avoid eco-analysis paralysis
What is an eco-audit, you ask? Think about it like this: according to Wikipedia, an audit is an evaluation of an organization, system, process, project or product, performed by competent, independent and objective persons. An Eco-Audit is an environmental evaluation of how you produce your book.
You can see how many trees you saved, how much water and electricity you didn’t have to use, how much solid waste you kept out of the landfills, and how many dangerous greenhouse gases you didn’t produce ~ all because you made your book green!
Deborah Bruner, Director of Book Publishing Papers at New Leaf Paper says: “The environmental benefits stated in the Eco Audit,” provided by New Leaf Paper, “are calculated based on research by Environmental Defense and members of the Paper Task Force, who studied the environmental impacts of the paper industry. They performed life-cycle analyses of post-consumer waste vs. virgin fiber, which revealed the tangible environmental benefits of using post-consumer recycled content instead of virgin content.”
E=mc2: Eco = Manufacturing X Collaborative Consciousness™
Everyone can be an eco-Einstein with these formulas and calculators. You can estimate environmental impacts, using the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator.
Another calculator can be found at www.AreYouUpATree.com, which was created by Plant a Tree USA™ using scientific research provided by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Transportation) Here you can calculate how many trees to plant to offset your carbon pollution by the travel and energy you use when creating and marketing your book.
Chlorine is a chemical used in the bleaching, or whitening, of papers, and to say chlorine is a "dangerous" chemical is the understatement of the century. Dioxins are the byproducts released during the manufacturing of chlorine-bleached papers. According to Deborah Bruner of New Leaf Paper, "for a long time paper mills were the number one source of dioxin pollution in waterways in the U.S." and as a note, "Dioxin is considered the most dangerous carcinogen to mankind." The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found dioxin to be 300,000 times more potent as a carcinogen than DDT. Dr. Peter M. Zeischegg MS, DC, DACNB, Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist, reports that dioxins "have even been linked to endometriosis, immune system impairment, diabetes, neurotoxicity, birth defects, decreased fertility, and reproductive dysfunction in both women and men." The certification process of chlorine-free papers requires that companies use ways to whiten paper without using chlorine. Look for the following certifications on the paper for your book. Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) -- reserved for recycled content paper. PCF papers have not been re-bleached with chlorine containing compounds. Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) -- reserved for virgin fiber papers. TCF papers do not use pulp produced with chlorine or compounds containing chlorine as bleaching agents. (Sources: Chlorine-Free Products Association, and Dr. Peter M. Zeischegg)
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