Green Printing: A Cost Effective Path to Environmental Friendliness (Part II)

Green Printing: A Better Solution

Green printing is seen to be the better, safer alternative that will allow the printing industry to become friendlier to the environment. There are many ways by which green printing can help alleviate the environmental crisis.

Reversal of Forest Denudation

Green printing forces companies to look for other sources of materials to produce paper aside from pulp processed from trees. As stated above, the creation of virgin paper is a huge contributor to the denudation of forests.

Through efforts of advocacy groups, other sources have been found for use as raw materials for making paper. These sources are more environmentally sustainable. Moreover, they yield paper products that are as durable and as high in quality as virgin paper. Among these new sources of raw paper materials are hemp, synthetics and reclaimed blue jean cotton (Hart 2005).

And then, there is always recycled paper and post-consumer waste (PCW) paper. Benson defines recycled paper as: "paper that contains different grades (10-100%) of recycled paper fibers. On the other hand, PCW paper is "recycled after used by a consumer and thrown away."

Reducing dependency on Petroleum

The second benefit is that green printing reduces dependence on petroleum which is a non-renewable resource. Petroleum is almost everywhere in the traditional printing process. It is used to power the printing presses and other equipment used in printing and in producing paper. Inks used in printing are often based on petroleum. The glues and adhesives utilized in binding paper are also derived from petroleum (Cook 2006).

Green printers are now making use of computers and equipment that are more energy-efficient. A few have even come to use wind-powered or solar-powered presses. Soy-based ink is also becoming a staple among companies that make use of green printing practices (Hart 2005).

Reducing Toxins and Waste materials release

Third, green printing reduces the levels of toxins and waste materials being released back into the environment. With green printers veering away from materials that release toxic chemicals and VOCs to the environment, which lead to health problems among workers in printing presses and the general populace, there is hope that these problems will eventually go away.

While the solutions that green printing poses are not as dramatic at first glance as one might expect them to be, their impact over time indeed promises to be fruitful. What is needed, however, is a conscious effort to practice green printing continuously and consistently.

Companies and Individuals can both benefit from Green Printing

As great as green printing may sound, what benefit does it actually hold for companies and individuals? Are these benefits enough to entice them to practice green printing?

The concept of green printing has been around for a number of years now, and while an increasing number of companies are embracing the practice, there still exist a number of myths and misconceptions about it.

One misconception about green printing is that recycled or PCW paper is not as good in quality as virgin paper, nor is it as durable. That is certainly not true. Not all recycled or PCW paper products are brown in color. There are types of processes that can make them appear as white and as durable as virgin paper (Cook 2005).

Another myth held by the majority of the public is that the usage of recycled or PCW will not yield high-quality printouts, unlike those made with virgin paper. Again, this is not true. A printout made with recycled or PCW paper can be virtually indistinguishable from a printout using virgin paper.

A third myth about green printing is that it is more expensive than regular printing. While it is true that green printing can sometimes cost more, the reason for this merely has to do with supply and demand (Cook 2005). Presently, the demand for recycled and PCW paper is not as high as the demand for virgin paper is. When the demand for recycled and PCW paper becomes higher than virgin paper, a lowering in costs can be seen, because producing recycled and PCW paper costs less and consumes less energy.

Moreover, printing companies that are dedicated to green printing take the time to educate their clients about the merits and cost-efficiency of green printing. They even go so far as to suggest how to decrease the cost of the printing jobs commissioned from them.

Besides being environmentally conscious, going green can help to reduce printing costs. It should be noted; however, that green printing is not just about the paper being used but also how the paper and the equipment for printing on paper are used.

A common practice in green printing is reducing the margins and spaces on printed documents, as well as compressing or eliminating filler pages like title pages or the table of contents. Using both sides of the paper is also desirable in green printing. In doing so, less paper is consumed, and thus, a decrease in the cost of maintaining a paper supply is seen.

Makower asserted that the best practice in green printing is no printing. Digitalization, the creation of portable document files (PDFs), and paperless communication through emails and instant messaging are still the most environmentally-sustainable and cost-effective practices that people can adopt.

Conclusion

But inasmuch as people and companies still cannot totally eliminate paper from their daily usage, green printing presents itself as a viable alternative. Green printing is not only an exercise in environmental responsibility, but it is also an effective means of bringing down costs of office supplies. If people and companies cannot worry too much about the environment, then the cost-effectiveness of green printing will at least get their attention.

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Green Printing: A Cost Effective Path to Environmental Friendliness

Green printing is a movement that has been gaining a steady momentum over the last few years. Today, however, green printing has captured the attention of large companies and some government agencies. Among those that have begun eco-friendly practices are Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Dell Computers, all known industry leaders in the field of technology.

For businessmen, green printing can be the cheaper alternative for businesses aiming to reduce operational costs and to make do with limited capital.

But what is green printing?

It is printing in a way which is environmentally friendly. This involves the use of more natural inks, recycled papers and energy conservation.

However, there are no set standards or guidelines to determine which printing company are green and which ones are not. Some companies market themselves as green printers but in actuality are not. In the same light, there are others that practice green printing but do not necessarily sell themselves as green printers, nor make it public knowledge that they are green.

Despite the lack of set standards, guidelines or definitions, there are a set of generally accepted characteristics and standards ascribed to green printers. Some of these are as follows, as listed by the Bay Area Green Business Program website (2004):

1. Use of "treeless," recycled paper and energy-efficient computers and equipment;
2. Digitized or computerized pre-press operations;
3. Recycling of excess or waste materials, such as paper, inks and solvents;
4. Utilization of ink that is free of alcohol, toxins and other volatile organic Compounds (VOCs);
5. Use of paperless communications procedures; and
6. Sincere and active attempts to educate clients on the merits of green printing.

The Printing Industry and its Impact on the Environment.

Many environmentalists and advocacy groups have decried the deteriorating condition of forestation throughout the world as a consequence of industrialization and the need for society to expand its habitats in order to accommodate the growing population.

Numerous toxic substances are typically associated with the traditional printing process. Cook has noted that the inks used by a large number of commercial printers are petroleum-based, which is a non-renewable fuel source. Furthermore, petroleum-based inks have high VOC contents that are leaked back into the air and the water supply. The presence of high VOC in water and air can lead to cancer as well as defects in newborn infants.

The fact is that according to estimates made by the advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund, a single ton of virgin paper makes use of three tons of wood as well as around 19,075 gallons of water (Cook, 2005). It also leads to the creation of over two thousand pounds of solid waste. These figures represent 90% of the printing and writing paper produced in the United States alone. It does not end there, however. The production of virgin, uncoated paper requires a bleaching and chlorination process to make the paper a brilliant white, as well as to make it stronger and more durable (Benson 2006). The process unfortunately releases toxic materials back into the water supply.

Cook also wrote that the solvents and chemicals used in printing presses are also toxic and hazardous, increasing the risk of people working in printing presses to chronic and deadly health problems including kidney and liver failure.

Clearly, the use of virgin paper and the process by which it is produced is dangerous to the environment. For this reason advocacy groups have been pushing for green printing and bringing it to the awareness of the general public.

Green printing: A Better Solution to be continued next posting...

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Help Save Mother Earth : Recycle Your Old Cell Phones

Some people doesn't care and doesn't know that old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, and other accessories need and or should be recycled. Why?

Cell phones and accessories are made from valuable resources such as precious metals, copper, and plastics - all of which require energy to extract and manufacture. Recycling cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions, keeps valuable material out of landfills and incinerators, and conserves natural resources.

Aside from that, cell phones contain toxic metals that can pollute the environment and threaten human health. When recycled responsibly, the metals can be put back into circulation, decreasing the need for new metal mining.

Recycling your phone recovers valuable materials and helps save energy! This will results in significant environmental savings and can benefit those in need. Imagine recycling just a million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 33 cars off the road for a year.

Below is a diagram that illustrates the Cell Phone Life Cycle:

Some NGOs in America and Canada like EPA and their Plug-In To eCycling have already started their campaign on simple Cell Phone Recycling and many of the major cell phone retailers (both cell phone stores and big box retailers) will take back your old cell phone to recycle.

Where to Recycle Your Cell Phone

Drop It Off

Drop off your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories at one of the retailers or service providers below. Visit the links for detailed drop-off and collection event information.

AT&T * Best Buy * Office Depot

Sony Ericsson * Sprint * Staples

T-Mobile * LG Electronics * Verizon Wireless

Note: EPA does not endorse the commercial services or products of its Plug-In To eCycling partners. All the previous links exit the EPA site

Mail It In
Mail in your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories at one of the retailers or service providers below. Visit the links for detailed drop-off and collection event information.

Nokia * Sprint * Samsung

T-Mobile * Motorola * LG Electronics

Verizon Wireless * Sony Ericsson

Note: EPA does not endorse the commercial services or products of its Plug-In To eCycling partners. All the previous links exit the EPA site.

Don't Forget:

• Before you drop off or mail in your old cell phone, make sure that you have terminated your service contract for the phone and erased any data in the phone.

• To ensure that personal information is cleared from the phone, you can: manually delete all information and remove the SIM card; contact your service provider or phone manufacturer for instructions; or use a data erasing tool such as ReCellular's Cell Phone Data Eraser

YOU CAN MAKE MONEY OUT OF THIS JUNK STUFF!

Scott S. Andrews, has been into recycling business for 30 years discovered Cell Phone Recycling Business, an unknown business opportunity by most people worldwide. He will guide you all the way how to profit out of used cell phones/PDA recycling.

Don't Trash Your Cell Phone -- Recycle It!

Help keep toxic metals out of the environment and make money.

Did You Know?

Recycling all of the 100 million cell phones

ready for end of life management in the US

would save enough energy to power more

than 19,500 US households with electricity

for one year!

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What Is Greenhouse and Greenhouse Effect?

The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earth’s average temperature would be about 60ºF colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases. See animation on how enhancing greenhouse effect likely contribute to global warming.

Have you ever seen a greenhouse? Most greenhouses look like a small glass house. Greenhouses are used to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouses work by trapping heat from the sun. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keep heat from escaping. This causes the greenhouse to heat up, much like the inside of a car parked in sunlight, and keeps the plants warm enough to live in the winter.

The Earth’s atmosphere is all around us. It is the air that we breathe. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave much like the glass panes in a greenhouse. Sunlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth's surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat up.

The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual. Even a little extra warming may cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

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