The potential and risks of Forest-based carbon offsets: part 1 - the Carbon Canopy

This week we're issuing a 3-part series that will cover one of the most interesting issues in the green market.

It's getting more and more attention (also on this blog) as a promising way to deal with global warming under the cap and trade scheme. At the same time, it is also the center of a heated debate between organizations, companies and others on its legitimacy and effectiveness.

Yes, we're talking about forest-based carbon offsets. Or in other words, enabling landowners who keep their trees standing and not cut them down, or selectively log their forests to earn carbon credits they can trade on the open market. Such a trading system does not exist yet and it's part of legislation before Congress, as well as one of the issues to be discussed on global level in Copenhagen in December.

Today we'll talk about the Carbon Canopy, which according to their website, "seeks to establish a new model to support landowners who expand protection, restoration and conservation of their forests and certify management practices to the high standards of FSC certification. The Carbon Canopy is focused initially on building a credible carbon market model for landowners in the Southern US. "

The group includes timber and paper supply companies, such as Domtar Corporation, Columbia Forest Products and Staples, as well as environmental NGOs such as the Dogwood Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, the Forest Stewardship Council and our friends at the Green Press Initiative.

The coalition starts a pilot project in South U.S. offering what they see as a win-win model: "Private landowners receive revenue for the ecological benefits their forests provide. Forest product manufacturers receive a stable supply of FSC certified wood to use in their products. In turn, large paper and wood end-users and retailers are able to offer FSC certified products to reduce their environmental impacts. And all of us, including our future generations, will benefit from forests that not only support a more stable climate but also biodiversity and watershed protection."

I like this model. It does a good use in the cap and trade mechanism and everybody wins. It also deals with a severe issue - according to the Washington Post, "ninety percent of forests in the South, which ranks as the largest paper and wood-producing region in the world, is privately owned. Some farmers in the region still clear cut their forests, or convert them to pine plantations that are fast-growing but less environmentally beneficial."

Now, there are some that question the concept like Greenpeace. Daniel Kessler, a spokesman for Greenpeace, praised on the Washington Post the idea of managing forests according to the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, but added, "We also believe that forest offsets should not be used in a compliance carbon market."

Still, I think that there's something right in providing incentives to keep trees alive. We discussed it many times in the past and we always get to the same conclusion: no matter how many flows this system has, it's the most realistic way to fight deforestation.

The Carbon Canopy explains it very clearly on their website: "Currently, forest landowners do not have access to viable roadmaps or sufficient economic incentives to help them conserve, restore and/or manage working forests to a high environmental standard. The potential of earning income from forest carbon sequestration could provide incentive for private landowners to enhance forest protection, restoration and conservation."

There are of course issues that shouldn't be ignored like the validity of carbon offsetting in general and forest-based ones specifically (how do you measure them? are they sustainable? what happens in a case of a fire where the whole forest is burned?) as well as their ability to actually reduce emissions.

The later issue is a very important one, as not matter how good you do carbon offsetting, if you eventually didn't reduce emissions then it's just not the right way. The Carbon Canopy doesn't ignore this question and I actually liked what they had to say about it:

"Carbon offsets are often criticized as serving as a crutch for polluters who prefer to buy their way out of having to implement true carbon emission reductions. Because the Carbon Canopy’s members strongly believe in the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before and alongside of purchasing and retiring offsets to compensate for emissions that can’t be reduce, we seek to work with corporations that are committed to transparency in reporting and demonstrate real leadership in developing sustainable conservation models to significantly reduce their operational and supply chain climate impacts."

I don't know what the results of this pilot will be and neither the Carbon Canopy, but it looks like they know what they're doing, dealing openly with difficult questions and issues and moving forward to find the right model that will both save our forests, fight global warming and will be worthwhile to all sides involved.

On the second part of our series we'll discuss some of the problems that were found in another pilot of forest-based carbon offsets, this time in Bolivia.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers, an Australian publisher, is going green with Eco-Libris!

We are happy to announce a new collaboration with the Australian publishers Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers!

We will work with Pick-a-WooWoo to green up children's books they publish by planting trees, starting with "The Boy Who Was Born To Love Frogs" by Jacqueline Nicoll, which was released on Wednesday!

Based in Western Australia, Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers are publishers of Mind Body Spirit books for children. Their inspirational books are designed to help children connect with their intuition and inner guidance, develop their awareness skills and enhance their Mind, Body, Spirit connection.

Their goal is to help children create a sense of strength and sense of belonging in this world by teaching them of their connection to everything in the web of life.

We're happy to start this partnership with the beautiful book "The Boy Who Was Born To Love Frogs" - 625 trees will be planted with our planting partner for its first edition and you can find our logo on the book!

Here are some more details on the book:

Author: Jacqueline Nicoll

Illustrator: Gabriel Evans

What it is about: All children have a gift. One boy, through his love of nature, makes a plan and is helped by the magical realms to share his wisdom and inspire others. This story celebrates the healing light that is within us all. Jacqueline believes that this book will help empower children with its message... that they too can make a difference with their individual gifts and talents.

The book will be available soon at http://www.pickawoowoo.com, where you can also find more information on the other books published by Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

Brazil's president will pledge in Copenhagen to reduce the pace of the Amazon's deforestation by 80%

If you're going over the news, looking for something positive about the upcoming global climate talks in Copenhagen in December, I think we got one for you.

Agence France-Presse reports that the Brazilian President Lula said on Tuesday that "he will offer to reduce the pace of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rain forest by 80 percent by 2020 when he attends December’s global climate talks in Copenhagen."

This pledge is translating to emitting 4.8 billion fewer tons of carbon dioxide gas. This is definitely a bold pledge, but how will Brazil do it? well, Lula didn't get into details, but as we mentioned here many times (here and here for example) it will probably will involve the concept of paying landowners to keep their trees standing and not cut them down.

Lula may reveal more details only in Copenhagen but he already knows who will pay the bill - he said according to the news that "he will also demand in Copenhagen that industrialized countries pay their fair share of the costs of reducing greenhouse gases."

It makes sense of course as the burden can't fall only on Brazil's shoulders, but nevertheless it's still a complicated task. So, good news? well, it's just a pledge but it's definitely good news to see that the discussion on the implementation of the "pay landowners to keep trees standing" is moving forward and hopefully, with the help of Lula,it will move forward significantly in Copenhagen. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

An interview with the Director of Marketing of Zumbox, the new promise for paperless mail

If you didn't hear yet about Zumbox, you need to recheck your news resources.

In the last couple of weeks you hear about them everywhere - from an announcement on two new clients: the cities of San Francisco and Newark (NJ) that will start using their web-based mail delivery system to an announcement on a partnership with New York City for Five Borough Pilot Program.

So what is exactly Zumbox? according to their website "Zumbox delivers paperless mail online – from street address to street address. What used to only be sent as paper mail can now be sent without the paper. How? We’ve created a nationwide paperless postal system with a Zumbox for every street address in the United States, including yours."

Well, it sounds very promising, but paperless mail is just like the paperless office - something we believed for many years to be just around the corner but somehow it never happened. Their success to partner with cities like New York and San Francisco showed skeptics that these guys shouldn't be ignored, but will Zumbox succeed in making an impossible mission possible? Will they revolutionize the mail system?

I decided that I need to learn more about Zumbox (still, we're talking about saving paper and trees here..) and asked their Director of Marketing, Joergen Aaboe, to answer couple of questions on our blog and tell us all about the new promise of paperless mail.

Hello Joergen. Firstly, where does the name Zumbox come from?

As far as I know, Zumbox is actually just a made-up name. Having said that, there has been a lot of speculation on this topic. Some ask if “zum” refers to the German preposition, while others wonder if it’s some sort of play on the word zoom. Sadly, we may never know the real meaning or origin of the name.

What is the main added value of Zumbox for businesses and organizations in comparison with the traditional option of sending emails instead of mail?

What we have learned from several of the organizations we have been talking to is that they are truly struggling to get the email addresses of their customers and supporters. In fact, many businesses have email addresses for less than 10 percent of their customers. But these companies already have the street addresses of their customers on file, which means they can start sending paperless mail via Zumbox immediately, as we have created a Zumbox (a digital mailbox) for every street address in the U.S.

Another key value is that Zumbox is a closed system with bank-level security that allows businesses to send sensitive mail like bills directly to their customers. As we all know, with email we simply get a message that lets us know we can view a bill at another website where we have to log in with a separate username and password, but Zumbox offers the security required for all sorts of transactional mail and other sensitive information to be delivered directly to a recipient’s Zumbox.

What will be the incentives for people to adopt Zumbox?

We’ll see the value of Zumbox to people evolve over time as more organizations start sending mail and as we develop the product further, but the most immediate value we offer is the opportunity to join this paperless movement. Through our campaign – Paperless Please (www.paperlessplease.org) – people can, among other things, request paperless mail delivery from several of the largest mail senders in the U.S. It’s a way for everyone – people, businesses, non-profit organizations and government – to get involved in the conversation about paperless mail and our corresponding preferences.

Control, and the ability to manage a transition from paper to paperless mail, is a key part of the value Zumbox offers both businesses and individuals who want to make that transition. And now that paperless mail is being delivered, people who claim their Zumbox will start experiencing the convenience of accessing their mail from anywhere and anytime, practically speaking.

Are you planning to have a rewards program similar to RecycleBank's one in the future?

We’re not planning to offer points for using Zumbox. Instead, we’re focusing our efforts on continuously enhancing the user experience through our relationships with third party mail senders and content providers as well as the development of new features within Zumbox. While reducing paper waste is a key goal for us, we want that to only represent one of many benefits associated with Zumbox.

In the cities where we’ve now launched – San Francisco, New York and Newark – mail is currently being sent from the local governments and other organizations, giving people there the ability to start receiving, organizing and storing their mail online. We’re essentially offering everybody a paperless mail option that’s convenient, secure and environmentally responsible.

What's your comment on the findings presented on the New York Times by Prof. Randall Stross about the effectiveness of using the stick approach to converting customers to paperless billing?

Well, I think that was a very interesting piece, as it underlined the challenge faced by most billers. Incentivizing people to go paperless has not really moved the needle, but apparently a company can get people to convert faster when a paper bill fee is introduced. However, the stick approach doesn’t always stick (pardon the pun). And as the article points out, T-Mobile had to quickly respond to pressure by putting an end to the paper bill fee, and the company has since gone back to the carrot approach or simply the voluntary approach.

But the real issue here is that the voluntary approach does not work for a reason. Current paperless options are just not cutting it for most people. The notifications that are sent via email typically only include a link to the bill, and having to go to different websites and keep track of numerous usernames and passwords just to view bills is highly inconvenient.

Personally, I think people would respond better to the idea of going paperless if there was a better way to go paperless. With Zumbox we’ve created a secure environment where bills and statements (and all other mail) can be sent as digital files and presented online exactly like they appear on paper. In that way, Zumbox mirrors the experience of receiving paper mail; the bill is actually delivered to a customer and appears the way we’re all used to seeing it, only without the paper.

While the stick approach may work temporarily for some, I believe the real solution to the challenge of getting people to go paperless is to create a better option than what has been pushed on people up until this point, which is a big part of what we’re trying to do.

What's the percentage of paper mail you think you can eliminate with Zumbox?

We have not done any calculations on this.

How do you see junk mail? Will you provide businesses sending it to use Zumbox instead?

First of all, we define junk mail as irrelevant mail, and we have built our system to increase the relevance and reduce the waste associated with paper mail. Having said that, Zumbox is an agnostic delivery platform, which means we offer all mail senders, including marketers, the ability to send paperless mail.

But Zumbox offers a unique kind of control that lets recipients decide what mail they want to receive. Specifically, if you receive a special offer in your Zumbox from a business you do not care for, you can permanently block that mail sender so we will ultimately only receive the offers that are relevant to us.

What is your plan - are you going to focus in the short-term on collaborations with municipalities (such as San Francisco and Newark) to get people use Zumbox and then move over to the business sector?

After a successful pilot in a smaller market earlier this year, we started the first stage of our national rollout in September, with San Francisco and Newark being the first cities. Over the next weeks and months, we will announce other cities that will be a part of this stage of our rollout, and the municipalities themselves will be involved in most cases.

Simultaneously though, we are talking to several national businesses and non-profit organizations about sending paperless mail to their customers and supporters in these markets, and we are also inviting local businesses and other organizations to participate. The goal is to create eco-systems, if you will, in the rollout markets so there are enough senders and recipients of paperless mail to make it meaningful for both sides.

Meanwhile, Zumbox is already available nationwide so anybody can start using the service right now.

What is the required penetration rate of Zumbox to make it work?

I’m not sure there is a general penetration rate required for Zumbox because these eco-systems can be created anywhere, all with different levels of participation. For instance, a community may embrace the service even if there are only a few critical mail senders initially, and most businesses will find Zumbox meaningful as long as they can start reducing their paper usage and the cost associated with that.

What will happen with USPS if you guys win?

While Zumbox is the first paperless postal system and clearly the first all-digital alternative to traditional postal systems, it is not the first competitor the USPS has ever seen. FedEx, for instance, started offering speedier delivery, but the Postal Service still offered a valuable service. Our service obviously represents a more dramatic shift, as we offer digital delivery, but we do not aim to replace the Postal Service and we certainly do not expect to do that. All we want to do is offer people a paperless alternative. We expect the world to be big enough for both paper and paperless mail.

Thank you Joergen!

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

Green printing tip no. 19: How can graphic designers make a difference and green up your printing jobs?

We have another tip for you on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Graphic designers are going green everywhere - last August, for example, we posted here that the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada adopted sustainability principles.Today Greg is talking about the role of graphic designers in green printing.

How can graphic designers make a difference and green up your printing jobs?

Tip #19

Lately I have had graphic designers come to me "before" they design their next projects. I like that. If you want to print an environmental brochure, or you have any other printing job you want to do in an environmentally sound manner, you need to plan it correctly.

Here are the questions you and your designer need to go over:

1. The size of the brochure
You want to eliminate paper waste. Most paper comes in increments of 8.5 x 11 or 9 x 12. Designing a brochure to be 7 x 10 may look good, but you will be wasting 1.5 x 1 inches of paper for each 8.5 x 11 sheet needed for your brochure. Figure in bleed. Printers need 1/8" bleed on all 4 sides. If the bleed size is now 8.75 x 11.25, you are still OK. If the bleed size is 9.25 x 12.25, you have exceeded the multiples of 9 x 12.

In the first example, a printer can take paper from a standard mill size 25 x 38 inches. In the second example, there will be a lot of waste paper. There is no slightly larger size paper than 25 x 38.

2. Inks to use
Metallic and florescent inks are not environmental. Try to design your brochure using standard pantone colors, and not metallics. The designer should request soy or vegetable based inks. If the job is digital, the designer should request 100% non toxic toner.

3. Type of paper (brand)
Hopefully, your designer is up to date on the environmental papers. Ask your designer if they know the definition of recycled paper, the definition of chlorine free paper, and what is post-consumer waste, etc. If the designer is not up on these terms, please have that person call me.

The biggest problem I see in environmental printing is lack of knowledge in paper. Some people think an FSC certified paper is terrific. It might not be. FSC primarily is protecting the forests, which is good. But, you also want to protect the streams and waterways leading away from the paper mills. FSC paper that is also 100% Processed Chlorine Free, will avoid having Dioxins being dumped in those precious waterways. Dioxin is an extremely toxic chemical that can cause cancer to fish, wildlife and eventually us.

FSC paper that is also 100% post-consumer waste recycled (100% PCW), will eliminate the printed waste from going to our over crowded landfills and incinerator plants.

4. Foils and Engraving
These items can make your job look great, but are harmful to the environment. If you need to use a foil, try to keep the size(s) to a minimum. Somtimes, a blind emboss, instead of a foil emboss, is just as effective, and does not present an environmental issue.

If you have any further questions about today's tip, please email me at greg@ecofriendlyprinter.com

Also, if you have any questions you would like us to address in future tips please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

Latest tips:

Green Printing Tip #18 - What is rock paper and why is it considered a green paper?

Green Printing Tip #17 - How do you save money on your next printing job?

Green Printing Tip #16 - Can green printing be done on a rush basis?

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Geen" on Radio Green Earth of South Florida

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Green" gets a lot of national media attention for her great book. Last week she was interviewed by Radio Green Earth of South Florida, and had an interesting talk on her book, the collaboration with the Earth Day Network and about Eco-Libris that partners with her to plant a tree for every printed copy!

Radio Green Earth is an interesting a weekly environmental radio show and their goal is "to educate listeners on environmental issues and share ways to reduce your environmental footprint and live more eco-responsible lifestyles." Definitely a good fit with "Planet Earth Goes Green".

This show is available at http://www.radiogreenearth.org/oct0509.html. You're welcome to listen to the interview with Madeline Kaplan, which starts after 23 minutes from the beginning of the show.

More about the book: Planet Earth Gets Well by Madeline Kaplan, illustrated by Taillefer Long, addresses environmental concerns in a child-friendly format, based on the author’s awareness that future generations must be prepared to preserve their planet and its resources.

When Planet Earth gets the sniffles, Mother Nature challenges each of us to retract our gluttonous ways. She instructs the Planet Earth to take better care of himself which means all humans must make big changes about key issues like global warming, the melting of polar ice caps, deforestation and energy depletion. Once Planet Earth sneezes, Mother Nature listens and helps each and every one of us learn how to be good to our dear, old friend. This educational reader is wholly unique in the ways that matter-think globally, think green, and act accordingly. Reading level: Ages 4-8

Links related to 'Planet Earth Gets Well':

Planet Earth Gets Well is partnering with Earth Day Network in a new green contest for children

The Chicago Bulls are promoting Green Reading and Eco-Libris is taking part in it!

Review of 'Planet Earth Gets Well'

An interview with Madeline Kaplan

'Planet Earth Gets Well' is going green with Eco-Libris!

The book's website: http://www.planetearthgetswell.com

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainble reading!

Green printing tip no. 18: What is rock paper, and why is it considered a Green paper?

We have another tip for you on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg is introducing a type of a paper that is one of the rising stars in the world of green printing:

What is rock paper, and why is it considered a Green paper?

Tip #18

Rock paper? Yes! I'm not sure how many have heard of this paper but rock paper is made from approximately 85% Limestone and Calcium Carbonate. I call it recycled rock paper, since it is made from torn down buildings.

Here are some of the things you should know and take into consideration about rock paper:

The environmental aspects

1. There is no water used in making this line of paper. With a world wide water shortage, this is becoming as big an environmental plus, as landfill waste.

2. There is a huge savings in energy to make rock paper.

What are the most common uses of rock paper?

Rock paper is available in 4PT and 5 PT for labels, soap wraps, and brochures, and heavier weights, like 16 PT, for boxes, pocket folders, business cards, etc. It looks like dull coated paper, and prints like coated paper. The ink colors are vibrant, and pop out.

Why should I use it anyway and not recycled paper?

Rock paper is terrific for labels that need to last a long time, and brochures that need additional strength. The rock paper is tear resistant, as well as being waterproof. Also,this paper has a distinct feel. When I give out business cards on rock paper, everyone comments on how cool this line feels. It has a satin type feel.

Is it more expensive to use rock paper in comparison with recycled paper?

Rock paper is less expensive than other durable sheets such as Yupo, the paper used in the award winning book by William McDonough and Michael Braungart "Cradle to Cradle". It is 70% less than Yupo. Compared to the higher priced, coated recycled grades and our 96 brightness lines in 100% PCW, it is approximately 20% higher in price, which may equate to a print price of 10% more.

Any cons?

Rock paper can only be printed via offset. However, we have found that we can print on an ink jet press, and I am making an accordion folded calender for next year. It will last the year, easily, in my wallet.

We specialize in printing on the rock paper line, TerraSkin. We use vegetable based inks and we like to seal the inks with a water based AQ. If you want to try rock paper for your next printing job or you want further information about it, please email me at greg@ecofriendlyprinter.com

Also, if you have any questions you would like us to address in future tips please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

Latest tips:

Green Printing Tip #17 - How do you save money on your next printing job?

Green Printing Tip #16 - Can green printing be done on a rush basis?

Green Printing Tip #15 - Are PDF files the best fit for every document?

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!