Green printing tip #4 - What does FSC Certified mean? is it enough?

Today we continue our series of green printing tips, where we bring you in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Last week we discussed various emblems that it's important to use to demonstrate the fact you're using green printing practices. Today Greg's tip is referring to one of these main emblems - the FSC certification.

What does FSC Certified mean? is it enough?

Tip #4
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. This council certifies that the paper mills are following strict procedures in managing their forests.

The FSC wants to make sure the forests are managed properly and that new trees can grow and that the forests are not depleted. To have a printing job be FSC certified, several very important procedures must be followed.

1. The Chain of Custody must be followed.
The printer needs a document from the paper merchant that proves that the paper bought is FSC certified. The delivery receipt must be sent to the Forest Stewardship Council for final verification.

2. The printer Must Be FSC certified.
Not many printers have gone through this process. It costs at least $5000.00 and there are very strict procedures that must be checked out to see if the printer is being environmental in their printing.

3. The PDF of the print job , along with the Chain Of Custody signed
A receipt with the name of the printer must be sent to the FSC.

4. The FSC will check the documents and then email back the code # that must be printed in the correct position next to the FSC emblem.























My final approval to this procedure: I like FSC and I also like that other emblems are printed, next to the FSC emblem. FSC is for managing the forests. It does not mean that the paper is recycled or chlorine free.

I like to see that the paper is also 100% PCW and 100% PCF and that the Energy used to make the paper is Green E certified. FSC can be for non environmental paper, and FSC can be for minimum recycled paper, and FSC can be for the maximum recycled paper. I like the maximum recycled paper. Then, I am sure your job is totally environmentally sound!


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 links:

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
www.ecolibris.net

Monday's green books series: The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome

Once a big house in the suburb was an indicator of success in America. It was part of the American Dream. Today it is transforming from an asset to a liability and becomes a nightmare for so many.

The book we're reviewing today is looking into this dream, the crisis that now seemed so inevitable and a new sustainable dream that should replace it.

Our book today is:

The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream

Author: John F. Wasik

John Wasik has won 18 journalism awards, including several from the National Press Club, for consumer and business journalism. His Merchant of Power was praised by Studs Terkel and well reviewed by the New York Times. Wasik is a financial columnist for Bloomberg News and the author of 11 other book s. He has appeared on such national media as NBC, NPR, and PBS.

Publisher: Bloomberg Press

Published on: June 2009

What this book is about? (from the the book's Amazon webpage)
An incisive look at the consequences of today's costly and damaging suburban lifestyle, this new book exposes the economic, cultural, environmental, and health problems underlying life in suburbia. John Wasik provides powerful insights into how the U.S. suburban lifestyle became unsustainable and what can be done to salvage it.

Wasik's observations are firmly grounded in exclusive on-the-ground research, interviews with thought leaders, and the latest studies and statistics. He exposes the untold truths about home ownership: green isn't always so green, life isn't cheaper after accounting for gas, water, and taxes, and modern suburban living isn't so idyllic considering the toll it takes on our health.

Wasik's trenchant analysis adds a new dimension to an important topic, with exclusive research and analysis that debunks the many myths of suburban living, while exploring innovative solutions being developed in cities and suburbs across the country.

Why you should get it?
If you live in suburbia and less and less feel that you're living the American dream, this is the book for you. Not only that this book raises the right questions, it also provide you with some of the answers.

There are some books that are discussing green housing alternatives, some more conventional and some are less, but they're mostly focusing on the environmental-economic link from an efficiency point of view. This book is unique in its much more diverse inter-disciplinary approach, as it masterly presents the connection between the economy, environment, sustainable development and the American way of life.

And of course there's the focus on the housing bubble, or as the book calls it "one of the most devastating housing recessions since the 1930s". This is the first book that I see which is connecting all the dots, economic, cultural and environmental, with regard to this significant financial blowup that is still going on.

Wasik does a great job in both describing the problem and offering various solutions. I like the fact that he keeps the discussion as practical as possible with many examples that makes this book much more than a theoretical manifesto - it is a description of a dream that once was admired by everyone and its demise. Moreover, it's a description of a new dream, a sustainable one that can shape the future of the U.S. and creates a whole new American dream.

What others say about the book:
"John Wasik's The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome offers enough to chew on for three sets of teeth, enough to digest for three stomachs, and the alerts the mind faster than an approaching siren." -Ralph Nader, Consumer advocate

"Get ready for a totally original look at the American dream. Wasik delivers the first truly multidisciplinary examination—using planning, law, architecture, and history to focus on working solutions that can keep the dream alive. This is a winner!" — Paul B. Farrell, JD, PhD. Columnist, MarketWatch.com and author of The Millionaire Code

"This excellent book takes a ground-level look at the causes of our housing crisis and offers a myriad of ideas on reinventing the concepts of home and community.” —Ilyce R. Glink, syndicated real estate columnist, author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask

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.

More related links:

Interview with the the author, John Wasik

Podcast of the author on Blog Talk Radio

The author's website

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Will the new Climate Bill help protecting forests or become a source of income for timber companies?

The Climate bill passed in the House last Friday. It might not be only a new era in fighting climate change, but also the first time when it is worthwhile to keep trees alive instead of cutting them down.

The Huffington Post reported last Friday that trees will be part of the credits scheme that is presented in the bill, and this time it means not only reforestation projects, but also protection of existing forestlands.

The article explains the mechanism:

"Say an acre of forestland sucks up two additional metric tons of carbon after a landowner plants more trees on his land or promises to rotate the way he cuts them down so more are standing at once. If the pollution market created by the legislation is currently trading at $20 a ton, then the landowner could stand to make $40 per acre if he qualifies for the program"

The legislation, according to the article. would also extend to international forests, promising to pay some countries that agree to slow their harvesting of trees abroad. We mentioned this idea in the past (see links below) and we're definitely in favor of giving economic incentives to preserve the forests and to make it worthwhile to keep them alive, avoid logging and prevent further deforestation.

This idea was discussed in the U.N.’s Bali meeting in December last year, and though it is not approved yet, there's a good chance it will be part of the post-Kyoto protocol that will be discussed in Copenhagen in December. It also enjoys the support of many international parties, such as Prince Charles, Norway, Al Gore and Wangari Maathai.

So we should be happy as forest protection finally becomes part of the carbon market, right? well, we are but it seems that the way it was integrated in the Bill is a little bit problematic..

Well, there are of course concerns about measurement, monitoring and making sure carbon capturing is actually taking place (especially outside the U.S.), but in all these concerns are no different really from the concerns you have with every other component in the "trade" part of the cap and trade scheme under the Bill. The more significant issue here might be who is eligible to take part in it in the first place.

The article on the Huffington Post mentions that owners of large swaths of forestland, such as timber companies and large farms can benefit from it. Frank O'Donnell of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch is quoted saying "In effect, the public is going to pay polluters to plant trees. Does that really lead to a major improvement in global warming? I don't know and I'm not sure anybody knows."

The fact that the Agriculture Department, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, will oversee the domestic program and develop regulations for verifying whether a forest owner's particular tract of land is actually capturing carbon, brings up questions like will they make tree farms eligible as well and how much will they will take sustainability into account?

If eventually we'll have timber companies being paid for having single-species tree farms that have replaced highly diverse forests (you can see that in the Southeast U.S. for example), then we're very far from what the idea of forests protection was meant to achieve in the first place.

So how it can be prevented? here is just one idea - how about limiting forest protection to highly-diverse forests and/or forests that have FSC certification. I believe that these kind of restrictions can provide a better chance that this measure of forests protection will truly help fighting climate change and not just become another way for land owners to make money without making any significant impact on the environment.

What do you think? I'll be happy to hear your thoughts about it so feel free to add your comments.

More related posts:

How investors can save the forests? check out the Ethical Corporation Magazine

Al Gore and Wangari Maathai calls the U.N. General Assemby to support protection of forests

Merrill Lynch is investing in forest protection

How to deal with the growing deforestation in the Amazon rain forest?

Prince Charles wants to team up with Norway to save forests

Preserving forests to fight global warming

Yours, Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Looking for a green printer in Florida?

We always love to learn about green printers and present them on our blog.

This time we have a video with Augustus Casamayor, chairman/CEO of AC Graphics in Hialeah, Florida. It's especially recommended for those who are concerned with the cost of green printing!



As mentioned on the video, AC Graphics is the first triple-certified green printer in the State of Florida, which means the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsment of Forest Certification) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have verified our company’s products and practices as being environmentally sound.

On Tuesday you'll have a chance to learn more about the FSC certification on our "Green Printing Tips" series.

You can find more information on AC Graphics on their website - http://www.acgraphics.com

Yours,
Raz@Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Men-only book club?

Can men actually sit together, sip Cabernet and discuss books?

Apparently yes, according to an interesting article of Don Aucoin on the Boston Globe ("Where the guys Are").

So what brings guys to sit together and discuss books? one of the interviewees in the article explains that book groups offer the best of both worlds "I get a night out," he says. "I get to hang out with a few of my buddies whom I normally wouldn't see. I get to have a few laughs and talk about everything. Plus it forces me to read a book a month, which is something I don't know if I'd do."

Well. who knows, maybe we'll see soon a male version of the Jane Austen Book Club. How about the 69-page book club? (following the rule of one book club presented in the article that "there has to be something pretty sick going on on page 69 for us to read the book, either a sexual encounter or some crazy situation.")

Yours,
Raz@Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

My Summer Reading with Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

The second guest today on our series My Summer Reading is Sue Schrader of Sources of Hope in Dallas, Texas. This gifts and books store is part of the Cathedral of Hope and also participates in our bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Hi Sue, what are you reading now?
Artifacts by Mary Anna Evans

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
Light fiction – no specific titles

What you are planning to read this summer?
Have several books at home, but can’t remember titles.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
Same as in the winter—at meals, waiting in line or on appointments, on the couch.

Thanks Sue!

More information on Sources of Hope can be found at http://www.sourcesofhope.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

My Summer Reading with Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

This week it's bookstores time on our series My Summer Reading with two recommendations from bookstores that participate in our bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Our first guest is Erica Caldwell of Present Tense in Batavia, NY.

Located in Batavia, NY, halfway between the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, Present Tense is a locally-owned independent bookstore that serves as a center for reading, writing, and the arts in Western New York. As you can see from the picture below Present Tense is also celebrating the summer with a great program of visiting authors.

Hi Erica, what are you reading now?
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan

What you are planning to read this summer?
The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha and then hopefully a few more that are in my towering stack of unread books!

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
On the deck

Thanks Erica!

More information on Present Tense can be found at http://www.presenttensebooks.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing