Green Options: 7 Environmental Lessons from Living in Europe

This post is brought to you as part of our content partnership with the Green Options. It was originally posted on Sustainablog by Zachary Shahan on July 21.


I have lived in Europe on two occasions now -- for five months in the Netherlands (two years ago) and for ten months in Poland (currently). I have been green-minded since I was a young child, and knew that Europe did better on many green issues. Nonetheless, to come here and live here has given me more insight on the perspectives of the people and more of a practical understanding of why Europe fairs so much better than the US on many environmental issues.

Recently, I came up with a list of seven things that really stand out to me as good environmental practices in Europe that could be transferred to the US. These could all be adopted in the US, but some are more personal in nature and some are more systemic. Furthermore, some of the personal ones regard large, life decisions, and some are much simpler in nature and easier to implement into your life now.

Of course, Europe is not one country and things vary from country to country. Nonetheless, there are also several similarities across borders. I have friends in other countries and have traveled a bit as well, so I hope to be sharing the best of the best.

Here's the list!

A winner on our giveaway of "What Do You See?: A Lift-the-Flap Book About Endangered Animals"

We also had a giveaway following our review of "What Do You See?: A Lift-the-Flap Book About Endangered Animals" by Amy Schimler, and we have a winner!

We asked you to share with us what is your or your kid's favorite animal and got many many great replies - from dogs and cats to giraffes and rats! The chosen animal of our winner, Jayne @ Misplaced City Girl was no other than frogs. Here is what she wrote:

Tosha likes tree frogs. And she'll jump around the house like a frog. Especially after her grandparents have given her bag of Starburst to take home.
Congrats Jayne! You won a copy of this great book and we'll also plant a tree for it and send you with it our "One tree planted for this book" sticker.

Thank you to all the other participants who shared their favorite animals with us. And of course thanks to Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing that contributed this book. We'll have more Little Green Books reviewed on our blog (and giveaways!) so stay tuned!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

And we have a winner on our giveaway of "The Green Year"

We had a giveaway following our review of "The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference" by Jodi Helmer, and we have a winner!

We asked you to share with us a tip of your own - one small step to go green that you successfully adopted. We got great tips and our winner is Annie who adopted what seems to be (at least to fathers like me) a very challenging though rewarding green practice - cloth diapers. Here is what she wrote:

Well- we have been trying to go green by adopting cloth diapers last year! They are making a come back!!!

Since our decision to do the cloth diapers, our whole look on waste has change naturally. We use cloth napkins at dinner time and we use dish towels more than anyone I know! The little things you do can make a huge difference!

Congrats Annie. You won a copy of this great book and we'll also plant a tree for it and send you with it our "One tree planted for this book" sticker.

Thank you to all the other participants who shared their great stories with us.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Is Target's book club the new Oprah's book club?

A very interesting article on the New York Times ("Target Can Make Sleepy Titles Into Best Sellers") today about a retailer that is becoming an influential player in the book industry - Target. Yes, Target.

They're not selling maybe as much as Amazon and B&N do, but as Motoko Rich explains in the article "through its book club, as well as a program it calls Bookmarked Breakout, both started in 2005, the company has highlighted largely unknown writers, helping their books find their way into shopping carts filled with paper towels, cereal and shampoo."

Target's Book club picks are sold in 20% discount, which together with noticeable presentation of the books in the stores ("narrower shelves that stand at the front or end of aisles — with specially designed signs") and consistent good picks by the book club, are making these books very attractive choice for customers.

The results? Jacqueline Updike, director of adult sales at Random House says in the article that Target “can sell hundreds of thousands of copies of a book that is virtually unknown in the rest of the marketplace”.

What I like about Target's programs is that they choose many times unknown authors and makes their book a hit overnight, like Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay who sold 145,000 copies at Target in comparison with sales of couple of thousands of copies before that. For each book selected as a Bookmarked Club Pick, the publisher produces a special edition, and the author writes a letter addressed to Target readers.

This is really great news and kudos to Target for their efforts. I hope they will also expand their programs to include a new green book club program that will be solely dedicated to promote green books. With Target's innovative and green approach and proven success to make books bestsellers, I am positive they can help the book industry not only to sell more books, but also to become more sustainable.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Green printing tip #7: What is the best alternative if you can't afford to buy Seed paper?

It's Tuesday already and it means it's time for another valuable tip on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg is discussing one of my favorite papers (especially for bookmarks..) and what options you have if you want to use it but it's too expensive for your budget.

What is the best alternative if you can't afford to buy Seed paper?

Tip #7

First, Seed paper is paper with seeds in the sheets. When ready to be recycled, the consumer is encouraged to bury the postcard, etc in their backyard and the seeds will grow into Wild Flowers.

This paper only comes in 13 x 19 cover weight, and costs approximately $5.00 per sheet delivered.

I suggest using small sizes to get your point across. Postcards and business cards are the most popular uses of this paper. For larger runs, I suggest printing your message on 100% post-consumer paper and die cutting a small piece of the seed paper and spot gluing to the less expensive recycled cover.

In your ad copy, you can say plant the seed paper image and it will grow into flowers. That die cut image could be your main point to your message to your readers. This was done by a company that die cut 200,000 2 x 2 pieces and gluing to 200,000 larger sheets, printed on a grade that was 1/10 the price of the seed paper.

If that doesn't work, I suggest changing to a different Tree Free paper. As the Seed paper has a lot of specs and colors in the paper, I recommend Sugar Cane, Mango, or Banana papers. You won't have the seeds, but the lines are eye catching, environmental, and Tree Free.

If you have any further questions following our tips, or you have a specific question you want us to address, please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

More green printing tips:

Green Printing Tip #6 - Is Spot Color printing environmentally friendly?

Green Printing Tip #5 - How to avoid being greenwashed when buying printing services?

Green Printing Tip #4 - What does FSC Certified mean? Is it enough?

Green Printing Tip #3 - How you make sure everyone knows you're using green printing practices

Green Printing Tip #2 - How you can make money while printing on 100% recycled paper

Green Printing Tip #1 - Go for a digital job

You can also find further valuable information on Greg Barber Company's website - http://www.gregbarberco.com.

All the tips are archived and saved on http://www.ecolibris.net/greentips.asp (part of our green printing tools & resources page).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

The state of green printing: An interview with Livio Ciciotti of Monroe Litho

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.

Hi Livio. Can you tell us please what makes Monroe Litho a green printer?

Monroe Litho is sustainable through many different ways. Since 2006 we have been 100% wind powered; we hold certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) in addition to having over 52 internal sustainability initiatives.

Press operator Dave Ames looks over a press sheet. Dave has over 25 years experience in the printing industry (Photo courtesy of Monroe Litho)

What's the current state of green printing? what's the impact of the economic environment on both your efforts and on the customers' willingness to go green?

Green printing is on the move, and in an upward direction. At this current time people want green initiatives but are seeking education on what is available to them and how they can make a difference in the environment.

The economy has slowed the printing industry as a whole, which in turns poses a challenge in marketing sustainable options in any arena. More and more customers are looking for ways to become more green but are shying away due to the misconception that it costs more; and with companies cutting back budgets we find ourselves educating a lot of the time on sustainability and how it doesn’t necessarily have to cost more and a lot of times can actually cost less.

What's the most common sustainable practice/s you're using?

Most requests we receive are to use FSC certified paper or paper that contains recycled content. Everyday we utilize wind power and recycling efforts throughout the company as well as strategic workflow processes throughout the manufacturing plant to make producing a project more efficient. The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership is quickly becoming more popular through our education to customers as well.

A sheet is pulled from the Heidelberg 6-color 28” x 40” Series CD 102 w/aqueous coater and extended delivery which uses spectrophotometry to analyze press sheets (photo courtesy of Monroe Litho)

Who are the customers that are asking for green printing? can you characterize them?

Customers who most commonly ask for green printing would have to be colleges, environmental groups and Fortune 500 companies will sustainability initiatives. We have had companies contact us from as far away as London inquiring about our sustainable practices. That’s the great thing about sustainability; anyone can be a part of it, it’s for the global community and here at Monroe Litho we strive to make a difference everyday.

FSC or SFI - What certification is more popular now?

FSC I would say is more popular. FSC is not only used on paper, you see it on doors in Lowe’s Home Centers; you see it on lumber for building houses. FSC is more popular but I think that more people are learning more about both and be able to recognize them and what they stand for.

Jose Garcia transports waste paper to an area to be collected and later taken to a recycling center. Recycling waste paper was one of the first initiatives adopted by Monroe Litho (photo courtesy of Monroe Litho)

What's the most significant value your customers are looking for in integrating sustainable practices in the products they buy from you?

Our customers want the value of sustainable printing but do not want to sacrifice in the area of quality and here at Monroe Litho we have been doing both for a lot of customers. We have changed processes and workflows to better accommodate jobs that maybe print on a paper that contains 30% post consumer waste recycled content or 100%pcw. The higher you go with recycled content the more difficult it becomes to maintain that high level of quality.

Our staff here at Monroe Litho has worked very diligently not to sacrifice that quality, especially in the pressroom; our press operators not only are highly experienced but are great when it comes to having a customer in for a press check.

How expensive it is now for your customers to go green? what have changed in the premiums they need to pay for using FSC or recycled paper?

Going green doesn’t necessarily have to be any more expensive; and in fact, here at Monroe Litho we have looked down many avenues to try and make printing green less expensive. For instance, we introduced a house sheet program where we buy paper in bulk at a discounted rate and then pass that savings on to our customers. This sheet is named Sustineo, meaning to sustain in Latin and is both FSC and SFI certified also boasting 10% post consumer wasted recycled content.

What is the most significant obstacle for your customers to go green?

The most significant obstacle is getting past that common misconception that it costs more, that they will lose quality and that it won’t look as nice on uncoated or recycled paper. We find ourselves sometimes being the educator, letting people in on what they can do for the environment and for generations to come; and that it doesn’t cost them any more money.

What is the feedback you're receiving from customers who go green? do they see any benefits from it from their customers in terms of branding, marketing or sales?

Our customers are raving over the finished projects. They love the fact that they too can do something for the environment and they don’t sacrifice quality, service or price. Everyone is seeing the value in going green; we print for many large companies like, Bausch & Lomb and Mercedes-Benz; both take advantage of the sustainability benefits of printing with Monroe Litho.

If you could send a message to other printers that consider becoming green printers, what that message would be?

Remember that there isn’t one singular solution to becoming green. It is a journey that takes time, you cannot become green or sustainable over night. I would suggest starting with smaller steps first, make them success stories, and then move onto larger ones. This all started for Monroe Litho many years ago, we didn’t get to where we are now over night.

We have a sustainability committee that meets every month to discuss new projects. We have a Vice President of Quality Assurance and Sustainability Initiatives who spearheads all of our projects. But none of the things we do today to be sustainable who have happened if we didn’t take those first small steps in the beginning.

I would also offer to any printers looking to do this to get all of your employees involved. Make all of them a part of the effort. Its contagious, sustainability is a culture within our walls and we are all proud to be a part of it.

Thank you Livio and good luck with your upcoming service! You can learn more about Monroe Litho at their website - www.monroelitho.com

More links:

The State of Green Printing - Part 1 - an interview with Greg Barber of Greg Barber Company (January 15, 2009)

The State of Green Printing - Part 2 - an interview with Deb Bruner of Pinnacle Press (March 18, 2009)

Green printing tools and resources - http://www.ecolibris.net/greenprinting.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris. net

Green book review week - part 5: The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget

Our final book on the green book review week is a book that tries to prove what many consider as impossible - going green can be fun, easy and inexpensive.

Our book today is:

The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget: Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet.

Author: Josh Dorfman
Josh Dorfman is the author of The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) and host of The Lazy Environmentalist television series on the Sundance Channel. Dorfman is also the founder and CEO of Lazyenvironmentalist.com, a resource for consumers seeking the best green products and services, and of Vivavi, a retailer of modern, green furnishings. He lives in New York City.

Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang (imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.)

Published on: April 2009

What this book is about? (from the the publisher's website)

In The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget, Josh Dorfman takes you inside the latest developments in green living to demonstrate how you can easily and affordably have your designer jeans and your planet too. From raising eco-conscious kids to greening your daily commute, Dorfman provides insights into the next wave of green innovation and the products and services that will lighten your planetary impact and lower your expenses.

Find bargain basement deals on stylish organic bedding and bamboo furnishings at the largest retailers in the world. Score instant rebates on everything from compact fluorescent light bulbs to energy-efficient air conditioners. And earn reward points for carpooling with friends.

In a time when many people are feeling financially restricted, The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget is your guide to effortlessly saving the planet while keeping some extra cash in your pocket.

What we think about it?
One of the the most bothering scenes on Food Inc. (a very recommended film!) is when there's a family buying a dollar menu meal at Burger King for the whole family and explaining that it's the cheapest and the most convenient way for them to get dinner. After I saw it I couldn't stop thinking how "greener" options can win the dollar meals in price and convenience. And that's one of the main questions Josh Dorfman is trying to answer in his new book.

Dorfman actually doesn't refer to food, but other than food there's almost no topic he's missing in his quest to show how's going green doesn't necessarily have to be expensive or time-consuming or difficult in any way. Dorfman is challenging one of the most hard-to-break myths on green products and he's coming prepared with all the info you need to get it right.

Although you'll think you have seen dozens of similar books with similar promise, this book is different. Its main strength is based on the familiarity of Dorfman of the green economy - he knows every green product and every green service out there. I thought I knew a thing or two, but I still was amazed to find how many new things I learned from reading the book. This is definitely one of the best resources for the best (in quality, pricing, availability and so on) green products and services you can find today.

The book is also very structured and organized - at the end of every chapter you'll find a list of all the resources, retailers, websites and information resources mentioned in the chapter with a short description and their website address.

Of course this is also the weakness of the book - all the great deals he's talking about, whether it's a showerhead that will save you water and energy in the shower (Ecoflow in $14.99) or affordable fruit-based facial scrubs, cleaners and body products of Alba ($8.95-11.95), this information can change fast. Products come and go, pricing changes, new companies arrive to the market with better offers, etc.

That's of course the problem with every printed guide and Dorfman's book is not different (although you can stay updated by following the Lazy Environmentalist website). Still, it has a lot of information that is priceless and relevant at least for a couple of years, and that's what makes it a valuable book.

Bottom Line: I like Dorfman's style and willingness to make the transformation into a greener lifestyle "fun, easy and inexpensive". I'm not sure if the family from Food Inc. would buy this book and if it did, if it would help them with their problem (maybe this book will), but I'm sure it can provide them with plenty of ideas how going green can actually save them money and time. But it's not only them - this book is recommended to anyone who wants to know more on how to go green in a fun, easy and inexpensive way

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

We're giving away one copy of the book, courtesy of the publisher, and of course a tree will be planted for the copy!

How you can win? please add a comment below with your tip on how you can save money while going green. Share with us your recommendation and get a chance to win this book! Submissions are accepted until Sunday, July 26, 12PM EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

If you're looking for other interesting green-themed books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading