The Stationers Guild

I just received a message from a rather prominent publishing company stating that they had decided to “go green” and I was asked to sign-up to receive email invoices.   By signing up, I was told that I would help save a tree.  Honestly, are companies that promote this disingenuous hype credible?    As my environmentalist friend counsels, “If you see any environmental claim, simply follow the money trail.  The ‘green’ claims of big business are generally bogus.”

Let’s look at the facts:

• The reason why XYZ Publishing Company would like to send “electronic” invoices is to save paper and postage.
• Will a tree be saved?  Highly unlikely.  I will need to print out an invoice to keep a paper trail.  In effect, the vendor has effectively passed on his invoicing costs to me.
• Regardless of who prints the invoices, will a tree be cut down?   Maybe, but doubtful.  So much of today’s business paper is recycled and, in any event, most companies source paper from environmentally certified forests.  Would it surprise you to learn that we have more trees in the US today than we did 100 years ago.
• If the leadership of this publishing company were really concerned that their invoicing policies were truly harmful to the environment, wouldn’t they shift all book publishing to electronic distribution channels?

Let’s face it.  These environmental benefits are totally bogus and true leaders should simply step out and say they are recommending changing their invoicing practices to save money.  Don’t use the environment to justify cost-cutting.  You discredit the environmental movement and simply look stupid.  In fact, I am not sure you are even a credible partner.

Richard W. May
Therese Saint Clair

Last Christmas one of my daughters gave me Mark Bittman’s book, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating.  Clearly more concerned about my growing waistline than my malnourished intellect, my daughter’s inspired gift got me to thinking about calories and food production from an entirely different perspective:  the environment.  In Mr. Bittman’s eye-opening introduction he asserts that, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultual Organization (FAO), “global livestock production is responsible for one-fifth of all greenhouse gases – more than transportation.”

Mark Bittman, the noted food critic for the New York Times, and straight-man to hilarious chef Mario Batali in Spain… On The Road Again, makes an utterly convincing case for reducing our meat consumption and  ”save ourselves and our planet (and some money) by doing so.”  While I have not yet swapped cow for tofu, my daughters will be delighted that I have decided to moderate my diet and eat more responsibly.  In addition to practical reasons for modifying our eating habits, Food Matters has 75 great recipes to help facilitate that change.

You may be asking, what does stationery have to do with global livestock production?   A cynical answer might be that if everyone were to skip the double cheeseburger and instead send out a hand-written note the world be a better place.  Surely, a nice piece of social correspondence doesn’t  use  any more paper than the wrapping paper and bag that accompanies your 700 calorie burger.

While it is fashionable to be “green” I am always a bit skeptical of “green” claims when it comes to paper.   Scot Case of TerraChoice discusses the seven sins of greenwash which are routinely violated in most ”green” stationery promotions.   I am not sure if these questionable claims are deliberate, but stretching the truth seems to be a common and growing trend within the stationery industry.  It is indeed unfortunate as there are so many passionate and talented designers and craftspeople like Julie Holcomb, Oblation Papers and Elum Designs where “green” is a way of life rather than misleading promotional hype.

Mr. Bittman’s book on eating habits and global livestock production brings home a sad truth:  We seem to spend far too much time focusing micro-issues while  the “big green picture” gradually slips out of control.  Certainly, global livestock production and packaging, which represents more than 40% of all paper production, are far more serious environmental concerns than the simple yet elegant act of sending a personal note.