Green Printer Blog

First and foremost, happy mother’s day to all the amazing mothers of the world. Motherhood is well known for being a very difficult job with no financial reward. A woman that has entered motherhood gives everything and asks for nothing in exchange. This act of kindness is celebrated in North America on the second Sunday of May. During this time, all moms are showered with gifts, poems, and unique art pieces created specially for them by their precious children. As sons and daughters grow up, the idea of gift giving on mother’s day becomes much more centered around a high priced tag. However, since moms are the most selfless of all beings, they often prefer Do-It-Yourself (DIY) crafts that reflect the effort put into creating the gift.

There are many DIY projects that can be developed for this special occasion. Most of these projects can be created using recyclable materials. As you might have guessed, the team at Green Printer is highly engaged in promoting these ideas. As an enthusiast of environmental friendliness, the office took on the challenge of creating a newspapers flower for all those special moms out there. Below are some snapshots of the team’s masterpiece.

Although it is nice to have a specific day to celebrate motherhood, it is important to remember that a mother’s love is unconditional. As such, the celebration of this love should be an ongoing act. This does not have to correlate with high expenditure but rather with creativity and environmental friendliness. After all, moms are the pioneers of green living and recycling.

A Green Printer Online Dispatch

Is the oft-used term “sustainability” now just an empty buzz word? The Guardian seems to think so. Or at least one of the contributors to the site’s Green Blog does.

Blog writer Doug King argues that because companies now use the idea of sustainability as “just another tick-box” to show they are no worse than any of their competitors, the term has lost its efficacy.

“As with many aspects of business, the innovators and early adopters have a clear understanding of what they are doing and why. However, by the time that new practice features in business handbooks, it has become a fad that must be followed in order to maintain market share,” he says.

And because the term is so closely associated with the trendy concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the word is not only ineffective but actually doing harm to the cause.

In King’s mind, the idea of CSR was that companies considered their actions, what sort of impact they would have on the world around them and made decisions based on that analysis. But because CSR has become a fad, companies aren’t truly concerned about creating a positive impact—instead, their goal is to meet just another minimum set of requirements to keep them competitive.

And while that’s a decent point, does intention matter all that much as long as some progress is being made?

A Green Printer Online Dispatch

The shuttle carts passengers between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and JTC Corporation’s (JTC) CleanTech Park in Singapore. And on top of not needing anyone behind the wheel, the vehicle is also entirely electric and doesn’t burn an ounce of fuel on its two-kilometre trek between the two institutions.

The shuttle, named NAVIA, was borne from a partnership between NTU, JTC and Induct Technologies, and will be tested by the university’s Energy Research Institute. The institute will optimize the vehicle over the next two years, work out any potential bugs the shuttle might have with navigating through traffic and will be implemented as an entirely autonomous mode of transportation. The presence of the shuttle on Singapore’s streets could be the harbinger of many more green-energy, driverless vehicles to come.

A Green Printer Online Dispatch

A number of appliance manufacturers have been quick to jump on the sustainability bandwagon. But there’s a room in the typical Canadian home that many don’t consider when looking to go green: the home office.

Particularly in heavy-duty home offices, appliances can eat up energy (consider all the scanners, fax machines, printers and computers). But it’s possible to cut your energy consumption by simply investing in a printer that gets the green seal of approval.

Here are some recommendations about what to look for when printer shopping:

Look for labels

When comparing brands and models, check to see if the printer you’re eyeing is certified as being energy efficient. Is it EnergyStar certified, for example? Does it have EPEAT certification? There are a number of “green” labels to watch for, and such certifications will ensure the appliance won’t eat up excess electricity.

Go for All-In-One

Although you may only be in the market for a printer, consider condensing a few of your office appliances into a single machine. Most major brands now carry numerous models of printers that also scan, copy, fax and perform other functions. Not only does going for the all-in-one option save energy, but also space.

Find Additional Eco Functions

Many newer models of printers now feature an ink-saving mode, which will prevent changing those pesky cartridges too often. Some models also have a “sleep” mode, which cuts back on wasting electricity should the printer be left on.

A love of postcards and graphic design is what originally inspired Virginie St-Jean, owner of Green Banana Cards, to attempt to turn her two passions into a business.

During her planning process, she decided to be realistic about the fact that Joe Schmo on the street isn’t necessarily interested in buying packs of beautifully designed postcards. However, if she differentiated her cards in a very unique (and Canadian way), her idea might just be viable.

“Since postcards are not as popular as they used to be with the general public, I thought that the only way to be successful selling postcards was to create a novelty product,” she says.

So, she began by designing a moose into her first product. Customers who receive the card can cut out the various parts and assemble them into a three-dimensional paper moose. And as the popularity of the product grew, she added on other animal designs, including a puffin, wolf and mammoth. St-Jean is currently up to 14 designs total, and has plans to add animals from Down Under to her line of cards in the spring.

Her designs are ordered wholesale for gift shops all over the U.S. and Canada, and she also offers smaller custom orders through her Etsy store.

Another aspect of her business that sets her apart is her commitment to using sustainable papers and inks for her products. Green Printer Online‘s line of eco-friendly paper and the ability to order directly online is why St-Jean chose to work with us exclusively.

“I get a quality product and it often ships faster than expected, which is great.”

A Green Printer Online Dispatch

Canadian companies are often known for their efforts to be “green.” And 10 Canuck companies have been recognized for taking the concept of corporate social responsibility seriously.

Media and research company Corporate Knights compiles an annual list of the Global 100 companies that are the most sustainable in the world. And 10 of those just happen to be Canadian. And that’s something to both celebrate and a new standard to hold other companies to.

And surprisingly, many of the Canadian firms are mining corporation or major power players in industry. The top Canadian company to make the list at No. 21 was B.C.-based miner Teck Resources. Next up was Barrick Gold Corp. at No. 40, and Canadian National Railway at No. 57.

The report bases the rankings on a variety of statistics, including “green” factors such as energy and water consumption, and equality issues including the relative number of women on their board and CEO compensation.

A Green Printer Online Dispatch

While the fair Canadian city of Vancouver has the noble goal of becoming the greenest city in the world by 2020, there’s a small town in Germany that may have already earned that title.

The university town of Freiberg I’m Breisgau, nestled in southwest Germany’s Black Forest, is considered by many to be the “greenest” or most sustainable city in the world currently. According to a report from The Vancouver Sun, the town’s reliance on numerous solar panels for energy in both commercial and residential buildings plays a major role in the title.

It also helps that many of Freiberg’s approximately 230,000 residents either use public transit via the tram, bicycles or their own two legs to get them wherever they need to go.

Additionally, the city has several energy sustainable neighbourhoods, including one that is hailed as being the only one in the world that creates more energy than it consumes, which it then feeds back into the city’s power grid (for a tidy profit, of course).

Perhaps Canadian towns and companies could learn a thing or two from the way residents and workers in Freiberg tackle sustainability together.

Recycling Tips

Summer represents a perfect opportunity to think about recycling, and to experiment with new ways to develop cleaner, greener habits. Many families enjoy vacations during the summer, and these trips lend themselves to the development of creative recycling ideas. Also, since this is the growing season, many people can benefit from a compost pile in their garden.

Here are five recycling tips to help with conservation efforts this season.

1. Dryer Sheet Kindling: Along with sweaty and muddy clothes comes a whole lot of laundry. Since a household’s laundry requirements are high in the summer, people tend to use a lot of dryer sheets. Most of the time, people simply pitch their sweet smelling, fluffy sheets in the trash bin after using them. However, by setting them aside, people can benefit from their use as a fire starter for both fireplaces and charcoal grills.

2. Book Swap: While paperback books are becoming less and less popular due to the increased use of tablets and other digital readers, we all still need something to do on a rainy summer day. Instead of buying new books, hook up with someone in a similar situation and have a book swap! These can be a fun way to spend a morning with friends, and will allow a person to receive dozens of new books to read without creating a whole bunch of new paper-based waste.

3. Eco-Friendly Vacations: By doing a little research before booking your next trip, people can find hotels that share their commitment to green living. Many times, these hotels utilize energy efficient appliances, and offer guests the choice of whether or not to have their linens laundered. Since laundry creates a substantial strain on environmental resources, electing to responsibly launder your linens while on vacation keeps harmful detergents out of the water supply and ensures energy efficiency while on a trip.

4. Plastic Bottle Overload: In the summer, many people find themselves using a tremendous amount of plastic bottles. Water tends to be a major culprit, so a smart suggestion is to invest in a home water filter and a reusable bottle. However, when faced with the presence of water bottles, consider using them for storage purposes instead of immediately throwing them away. Gallon jugs make fantastic containers for a number of household items, including hardware, change and children’s toys. The same can be said for smaller bottles and other disposable plastic containers.

5. Smart Water Use: Since summer usually brings rain, a bucket can serve as a way to collect water for plants. Along those lines, allowing the water used to boil pasta and other foods to cool allows for another source of water for plants or a garden. Since people often don’t consider their water use when beginning to think about recycling, these are a few simple ways to get going with water conservation during the summer months.

Recycling is a group effort! Please leave your comments below, and share this on your social media platform of choice.

For every pro there is a con, this is something we can’t avoid. But, when we’re talking about the benefits of using recycled paper sources, we have several reasons to pay more attention to the pros instead of the cons.

Let’s get right down to it. Using recycled paper is much less harmful to our environment when speaking in terms of its production process. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has stated that the production of one ton of recycled fibers, on average, can save up to 17 trees, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, 360 gallons of water, 100 gallons of gasoline used for heating the pulp, 60 pounds less air pollution, and over 10,000 kilowatts of electricity.

These savings are enormous. As nearly 30% of the waste in any landfill is paper based, we end up injecting far less pollution directly into the environment. Recycled fibers can be reused an average of four times before they become too weak to re-pulp and create quality paper. Sometimes it’s common for paper producing companies to use a mixture of recycled paper pulp and virgin pulp (new pulp) to extend the life of the recycled sources and ensure a quality finished product.

In other cases paper that decays to an undesirable level of quality is also used in lower quality paper products, such as note pads. All in all, with the amount of used paper available for recycling, there’s no reason why any source of paper should be overlooked when considering a recycling process. So don’t throw that paper away, recycle it!

Recycling of all kinds is becoming more and more important as consumption levels increase worldwide. Paper production, which is fueled by deforesting vast amounts of the world’s naturally forested areas, is becoming a threat to the environment. Methods of recycling print paper for reusability are now becoming a necessity to preserve our future.

Howstuffworks.com stated that on average, a 1610 pound tree can produce about 80,500 sheets of paper, which adds up to only 161 packs of print paper. By using recycled stock printing resources, we are able to avoid cutting down countless trees.

Several magazines around the world have started to outsource traditional paper usage and have switched to 100% recycled stock. The University of Toronto magazine (U of T) is one who has found great savings with the switch. In an article by U of T magazine, they have stated to the switch has amounted in saving nearly 2000 trees per year, energy savings that could heat about 13 homes, and approximately 13 garbage trucks worth of yearly waste. There are nearly 700 or more magazines in the US alone and nearly 30 million trees are cut down each year worldwide.

Nearly one and a half million trees could be saved annually simply using a recycled source of paper in all US magazines. To gain a visual perspective on how much of an area one and a half million trees can fill (based on tree spacing of a two foot by foot spread), they would occupy about 100 American Football fields, or 114 city blocks.

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