Let me build on that by saying that there is even more good news than this. Did you notice that the Green Power Partners site also has Top 20 lists by category? These include college & university, local government, retail, on-site, and printers.

What’s interesting here is printers. This is a highly unglamorous category. Why would the EPA care about commercial printing and packaging companies? For the same reasons that anyone interested in environmental sustainability should care about them.

1. Printing is the third largest manufacturing industry in the country

2. Printing is a very aggressive with environmental sustainability, including its use of green power.

Put these together and you have the third largest manufacturing industry making a major move to sustainability. When not just individual companies but an entire industry embraces green technologies and processes, it makes a real difference. That’s exciting!

Yet, where’s all the buzz? E-media! With its 24-hour-a day, 7-days-a-week power usage, its ubiquitous energy-using devices from desktop computers to laptops to servers to cellphones, PDAs, and every other mobile device that now blanket the planet and drain the power grid. Meanwhile, because printing uses — dare I say the word — paper, it’s the bad guy?

Read more of this story »

This week, the print industry will gather in Chicago at Print 09 (September 11 - 16), one of its largest annual trade shows. There, the The Print Council will promote a new position paper titled, “Why Print Is Green.”

“Our industry is a leader in recycling, sustainability and pollution control,” says Ben Cooper, executive director of The Print Council. “In fact, we pioneered putting those concepts into widespread practice over the past three decades. But we did so quietly, to the extent that there is a lack of awareness regarding the environmentally responsible nature of print.

“Why Print Is Green” describes ten specific ways in which print is green, from the responsible products used, renewable energy sourced, increased recycling rates, to improved design and delivery methods. The report is intended to demonstrate why print media is the environmentally sound choice for communicating with the audiences they want to reach.

• Among the facts the white paper documents:
• In 2008, more than 57% of paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling, more than any material.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/06/the-new-green-media-print/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/28/the-paper-industry-fights-back/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/28/the-paper-industry-fights-back/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:05:04 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/28/the-paper-industry-fights-back/ In today’s marketing world, the paper industry is seen as the big, bad guy — the energy hogging, landfill-clogging waste producer that needs to be replaced by cleaner, more efficient electronic media. But is this really the case? The paper industry claims that the opposite is true. It points out that electronic media are huge consumers of energy, and when you consider that the paper industry is one of the largest consumers of clean energy like wind power, the tables may actually be turned.

  In a recent publication, “Pixels or Paper?”, International Paper wrote:

  Our industry is one of the biggest users of renewable, low-carbon energy in the world. Sixty percent of the energy used to make paper in the U.S. comes from carbon-neutral renewable resources and is produce on site at mills. In addition, these facilities use combined heat and power (CHP) generation systems, which are 80-90% efficient. Fossil fuel use and purchased energy in this industry is steadily decreasing.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/28/the-paper-industry-fights-back/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/24/are-pixels-greener-than-paper/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/24/are-pixels-greener-than-paper/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:27:05 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/24/are-pixels-greener-than-paper/ It’s a debate that’s raged in the printing and marketing community for some time. If you switch to electronic methods of communication, are you really greener than if you use print? Or by switching some portion of your print marketing to email or other e-communications, are you really helping the planet?

  International Paper has produced a new brochure in its “Down to Earth” environmental series, “Pixels Vs. Paper: Are Pixels Greener Than Paper?” that addresses this question. Of course, it is written by a paper company, so the answer will not be a surprise, but the brochure does contain some interesting tidbits that marketers may want to keep in mind:

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/24/are-pixels-greener-than-paper/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/23/eco-libris-the-state-of-green-printing-an-interview-with-livio-ciciotti-of-monroe-litho/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/23/eco-libris-the-state-of-green-printing-an-interview-with-livio-ciciotti-of-monroe-litho/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:23:08 +0000 Raz Godelnik http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/23/eco-libris-the-state-of-green-printing-an-interview-with-livio-ciciotti-of-monroe-litho/ This post was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on July 20.

  As part of our efforts to promote green printing, we continue to closely follow the printing industry, keep you posted with printers who have already adopted eco-friendly practices in their business and speak with them on the state of green printing, the trends, the challenges in the present and their plans for the future.

  We posted already two interviews with green printers (Greg Barber and Deb Bruner) and today we are happy to have another green printer on our blog: Livio Ciciotti of Monroe Litho (Rochester, NY).

  Livio Ciciotti is an Account Executive with Monroe Litho based in Rochester, NY. He is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Print Media. He has been invloved in printing since high school. Livio is also in the Marine Corps Reserve, an honor graduate from the School of Infantry he now serves with 3rd Battalion 25th Marines out of Buffalo, NY and is preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/23/eco-libris-the-state-of-green-printing-an-interview-with-livio-ciciotti-of-monroe-litho/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/20/psychographics-help-take-marketing-green/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/20/psychographics-help-take-marketing-green/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:36:41 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/20/psychographics-help-take-marketing-green/ I was just reading about a report on the psychographics of Hispanic teens, one of the fastest growing demographic segments—projected to reach 62% of the entire teen market in 10 years. Among other things, they are described as extroverted, outspoken, wired, and defined by culture. The top three media consumed by Hispanic youth are 1) the Internet, 2) TV and 3) radio.

  In light of the barrage of data on the decline of direct mail, I’ve done a lot of writing these days in the defense of print. But the psychographics of your customer or prospect base (such as Hispanic teens) may well determine which medium (or media) you use. That could mean greening your marketing program at the same time.

  I’m never a fan of reducing your use of print simply for the sake of greening. After all, electronic media have their own carbon footprints, too. They are just hidden in energy use, disposal of used electronic equipment, and so on. Comparing the carbon footprints of the two can be very complicated.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/20/psychographics-help-take-marketing-green/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/15/even-traditional-print-can-be-greener/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/15/even-traditional-print-can-be-greener/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:13:38 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/15/even-traditional-print-can-be-greener/ Like it or not, “green” is a relative term. If you purchase a truck that gets 18 miles per gallon, is that good or bad for the environment? If you were driving a truck that got 13 miles to the gallon, it’s good. The same applies to many marketing technologies.

  It’s easy to look past traditional offset and gravitate to digital and electronic technologies because of the perception that they are greener. But the fact is, traditional offset is still a necessary component of a successful marketing program. Fortunately, as I’ve written here before, offset technologies are getting greener and marketers don’t need to feel guilty about using them.

  For example, Heidelberg is currently doing the media rounds announcing that its Speedmaster XL 105 offset press (pictured above) consumes between 10–20% less energy than comparable systems. Although energy costs only account for between 2-3% of the production costs of a print job, every little bit helps.

  According to Heidelberg,

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/15/even-traditional-print-can-be-greener/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:48:45 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/ Sometimes we think we have to change governments and corporations in order to see environmental change, but change is just as powerful when it happens one person at a time. And sometimes it’s easier to do. 

  About a month ago, I made two posts about the environmental efforts of SunChips, a snack food company. I had become excited when I discovered, quite by accident, that one of my favorite chips was packaged by a company with a deep environmental commitment. It’s always nice when you discover something that you love anyway has a secondary environmental benefit. Makes me feel better about eating junk food. 

  Yesterday, I ran into a guy who was eating a bag of them. I joked, “Hey, did you know that SunChips’ packaging is one-third compostable?”

  He immediately perked up. “Really? I didn’t know that. Cool!” 

  Then he added thoughtfully. “I enjoy using the environment. But I don’t know much about saving it. I drive a diesel truck.” 

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/07/03/inspiring-change-one-person-at-a-time/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/28/sustainability-as-a-marketing-issue/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/28/sustainability-as-a-marketing-issue/#comments Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:24:21 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/28/sustainability-as-a-marketing-issue/

  More and more frequently, I’m seeing companies choose sustainability, not just as operational preference, but also as a marketing approach. They are marketing “green” or sustainability (because “green” and “sustainability” are different) as a way to connect with consumers and sell products.

  Thus, when I was contacted by Don Carli, senior research fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Communications, about a three-minute video on the topic of sustainability as a marketing issue, I was intrigued. It sounded like a headline I’d write. That always gets me interested.

  The video was posted on YouTube by “Three-Minute AdAge,” a daily news “show.”  What I thought was interesting about this particular video was that, while it claimed to be about marketing, it really focused on the need for sustainability, not just as a way to connect with consumers, but as a way to protect marketers’ supply chains from disruption and price spikes based on their dependence upon carbon. It was interesting how Carli tied the two together—indeed, he appeared to make the two issues inseparable.

  Here are some of Carli’s comments (edited for brevity):

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/28/sustainability-as-a-marketing-issue/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/10/interview-with-carmen-spagnola-of-m-smart-designs/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/10/interview-with-carmen-spagnola-of-m-smart-designs/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:57:53 +0000 Olga Orda http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/10/interview-with-carmen-spagnola-of-m-smart-designs/

  A Green Printer interview with Carmen Spagnola, entrepreneur and owner of m.

  1. What made you want to start m?
  I started m because I was a frustrated consumer.  I decided that  if I want to have access to smarter, more beautifully designed, more  responsible products and amenities for my home and family, I was going
  to have to create more demand.  Markets are a bit of a chicken-and-egg  relationship.  Many retailers will tell you that they only provide  what their customers want.  That is only part of my modus operandi.
  I want to showcase the possibility of a better performing future, so  much of what I sell and promote is currently considered ahead of the market.  But how will the market know what it wants if we don’t inspire it to want more?

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/10/interview-with-carmen-spagnola-of-m-smart-designs/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/06/green-calculators-help-bank-go-green%e2%80%94twice/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/06/green-calculators-help-bank-go-green%e2%80%94twice/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:23:20 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/06/green-calculators-help-bank-go-green%e2%80%94twice/ I’ve been seeing a lot of “green calculators” around these days. I love the concept because they accomplish two goals in one swoop: 1) they encourage businesses or consumers to take more environmentally responsible actions that 2) coincidentally also happen to help the marketer’s bottom line.

  The latest green calculator I saw was on my bank’s website. The bank has been trying to encourage its customers to move to online statements and bills, and the latest iteration of its efforts is an online calculator that determines how much money you can save by going paperless.

  It works like this. You input the number of paper bills you receive each month and the number of paper bills you pay each month. Then it automatically generates an estimate of what environmental impact the elimination of this paper would have. In this case, I input 10 paper bills received and 10 paper bills paid.

  The results?

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/06/green-calculators-help-bank-go-green%e2%80%94twice/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/#comments Sun, 31 May 2009 12:43:43 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/ Yesterday, I blogged about SunChips’ smart marketing use of its green message on its packaging and on its website. This morning, I began reading some of the informational PDFs I downloaded from its website about those environmental initiatives. I was intrigued about the company’s use of a new corn-based biopolymer being used take 30% of its current packaging compostable—and growing.

  To make its packages partly compostable, SunChips is using a polymer produced by NatureWorks LLC. Polylactic acid (PLA), or polylactide, is made from plant starch. More specifically, PLA is made from lactic acid, which is made from dextrose by fermentation, and dextrose is made from plant starch. In case the order is important.

  What is important is that the polymer is made from renewable plants rather than petroleum, so it makes a lower impact on greenhouse gases. NatureWorks has trademarked this material with the name Ingeo, which is calls the world’s first and only performance plastic made from 100% annually renewable resources.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/31/a-closer-look-at-sunchips-compostable-packaging/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/#comments Sat, 30 May 2009 21:34:16 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/ One of my greatest dietary weaknesses is SunChips, especially the cheese ones. I stopped buying them because, while I’m publicly known as an exercise and healthy food nut, in secret, SunChips are kryptonite to me. I don’t just eat a normal-sized serving. I eat them until I can’t fit any more into my stomach, then I lay around with a belly ache, thinking about running 10 miles and never do.

  So imagine my delight when, after resisting the snack-sized bag on a friend’s counter for a full afternoon (okay, half an afternoon), having a willpower breakdown and tearing open the bag like a wild animal only to discover that the company manufactures its chips using solar power.

  Imagine! SunChips are not only health food (or so they say), but they are good for the planet. Suddenly, I felt better about eating the entire bag.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/30/kudos-to-sunchips-%e2%80%94-marketing-its-green/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/24/decoding-the-language-of-green-paper/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/24/decoding-the-language-of-green-paper/#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 10:35:39 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/24/decoding-the-language-of-green-paper/ PCF, TCF, SFI, FSC, PCW, Green-e . . . good grief, what do all of these acronymns mean? What’s the bottom-line difference on them anyway? If you’ve wondered about things like this, there is a free Webinar you may want to attend.

  Sign up for Webinar

  The Webinar will be run by Sabine Lenz, founder of PaperSpecs.com, designer, writer and speaker on paper issues and educational topics related to the paper industry. It will apply her no-nonsense approach to bring you a straightforward explanation of the green paper terminology and how you can improve your green footprint with every paper purchase you make.

  In addition to decoding the mysterious green acronyms, Lenz will also provide insight into:

  • What the different recycled and eco logos mean
  • Why certification schemes like FSC are necessary
  • Whether we need virgin fiber to make paper
  • What it means to be carbon neutral
  • Other materials used to make paper (I wonder if she’d discuss paper made from rocks? I mentioned a rock-based paper in a previous column — yes, really!)

  Lenz will also discuss how you can establish your own personal sustainability scorecard and how to use it as a blueprint for future progress toward more sustainable practices. At the end of the hour, the goal is for marketers, designers, and others to feel good about specing green paper and get on with the business of making their clients happy.

  Like this post? See all my “Greening Print Marketing” posts.

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/24/decoding-the-language-of-green-paper/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/04/greening-print-marketing-using-social-media-to-find-tree-free-alternatives/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/04/greening-print-marketing-using-social-media-to-find-tree-free-alternatives/#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 18:12:14 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/04/greening-print-marketing-using-social-media-to-find-tree-free-alternatives/ When you’re looking for environmentally resources, where is the best place to go? If it’s business related, don’t overlook social networking sites like LinkedIn. Often, there are hundreds — if not thousands — of people in social networking groups that have vast experience you can draw upon.

  Just the other day, a question in a printing industry group caught my eye. The poster was looking to print on green substrates, such as hemp, bamboo, or recycled vinyl and was looking for recommended suppliers of these products. Those recommendations came in spades, both vendors of these resources and printers and other service providers that can procure them.

  Just for fun, here is a list that came from members of this particular board:

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/05/04/greening-print-marketing-using-social-media-to-find-tree-free-alternatives/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/substance-151-modular-design-systems-and-visual-vocabularies/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/substance-151-modular-design-systems-and-visual-vocabularies/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:57:08 +0000 Olga Orda http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/substance-151-modular-design-systems-and-visual-vocabularies/

  By contributing guest author Ida Cheinman, Principal and Creative Director of Substance 151, a strategic design agency for Green Printer’s “Design Goes Green” series.

  We live in a time when “sustainability” is topping the buzzword charts and a wave of greenwashing is flooding the mainstream. We live in a time of intense competition, gloomy economic forecasts and rapidly disappearing marketing budgets, but also in a time when more and more companies and organizations strive to uphold higher environmental and social values, making the shift to the triple bottom line economic model. Sustainability and social responsibility are the forces that drive many of today’s business decisions; they also change the way organizations re-think their branding and marketing strategies. As marketers and business leaders, we are faced with the challenge of finding differentiation by creating empowering and memorable brand experiences for our audiences in the increasingly crowded sustainable marketplace.

  So, What are the rules?

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/substance-151-modular-design-systems-and-visual-vocabularies/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/27/greening-your-office-with-hp/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/27/greening-your-office-with-hp/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:38:21 +0000 Reenita Malhotra http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/27/greening-your-office-with-hp/  

  This Earth Day, it was my mission to take serious steps towards greening my home office. While saving paper was the no-brainer approach, there is no escaping those documents that absolutely need to be printed in any office large or small. So, the next obvious choice is to look at greening your print habits.

  Given that I have been using the HP Officejet Pro 8500 for a few weeks now, I am beginning to realize its merits as an ideal printer for small business or home office use. Not just because of its efficiency but also because it is a truly green option as far as printers go.  

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/27/greening-your-office-with-hp/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/25/greening-print-marketing-does-saving-money-conflict-with-environmental-stewardship/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/25/greening-print-marketing-does-saving-money-conflict-with-environmental-stewardship/#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:38:49 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/25/greening-print-marketing-does-saving-money-conflict-with-environmental-stewardship/ In these tough economic times, everyone wants to save money. But what happens when money-saving options conflict with environmental stewardship?

  One area of concern is paper.  As fuel costs have come down, publishers looking to save money on distribution are looking at heavier paper. Although the paper itself costs more than lightweight grades, the heavier stock allows them to take advantage of lower freight rates, which have come down significantly since last summer’s peak oil prices.

  The Dead Tree Edition, for example, recently encouraged periodical publishers to consider this option in an article “Heavier Paper Can Save Money.”

  But at what environmental cost? Heavier paper may cost less to ship, but it takes more fuel. You’ve got the same number of pages, carrying the same amount of information, but at a higher level of fuel consumption. Heavier paper also takes more energy to transport and ship before printing.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/25/greening-print-marketing-does-saving-money-conflict-with-environmental-stewardship/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/18/greening-print-marketing-what%e2%80%99s-your-communication-footprint/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/18/greening-print-marketing-what%e2%80%99s-your-communication-footprint/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:20:37 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/18/greening-print-marketing-what%e2%80%99s-your-communication-footprint/ Looking to take your printing, marketing, and packaging carbon-neutral? Consider attending the 2009 Green Media Conference held at  Columbia College, Chicago, on June 9. The theme of the conference is “What’s Your Communication Footprint?”

  The conference will look at issues such as how sustainability can save you money, what sustainable products and services are available now, and why sustainability gets you new business and helps you retain current customers.

  A variety of workshops will offer experts in sustainable media, networking opportunities with sustainability leaders, tools and advice you can put to use right away, and best practices.

  The conference will cover a variety of media, including:

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/04/18/greening-print-marketing-what%e2%80%99s-your-communication-footprint/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/15/the-brainchild-group-on-problem-solving-and-timing-in-green-marketing/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/15/the-brainchild-group-on-problem-solving-and-timing-in-green-marketing/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:57:34 +0000 Olga Orda http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/15/the-brainchild-group-on-problem-solving-and-timing-in-green-marketing/

  A special guest post by Aaron Schoenberger for Green Printer’s ‘Design Goes Green’ series.

  A common misconception, one that I’ve seen a thousand times, is the idea that simply printing on recycled mediums, with soy ink, will make one’s marketing materials green. In essence, it’s not only the printing that makes a company green, but also the research and time spent identifying target markets, concocting copy that’s both precise and somewhat vague at the same time, limiting the want to send promotional material to everyone on the planet, and a host of other factors that, if not done properly, will result in a slap on the wrist from good ole’ Mother Earth.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/15/the-brainchild-group-on-problem-solving-and-timing-in-green-marketing/feed/