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It’s Not Easy Being Green - 8
December 12, 2007

Did you see the passionate speech by former Vice President Al Gore as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo Norway on Monday? I was in rain soaked Virginia  preparing for a PDF workflow training session as Gore urged the United States and China to make the boldest moves on climate change or "stand accountable before history for their failure to act."
 In accepting the prize he said humanity risks sliding down a path of "mutually assured destruction…. It is time to make peace with the planet".

Gore said, "We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war. … We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency — a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here". His remarks came as governments met in Bali, Indonesia, to start work on a new international treaty to reduce climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions. 
The governments hope to have the new pact, which succeeds the Kyoto accord, in place by 2012, but Gore has said the urgency of the problem means they should aim higher and come to an agreement by 2010.

What Can You Do?

According to an article entitled “Becoming A Green Printer”, there are 10 things you can do. And two more are included for front office efforts.

1. Computerize pre-press operations
    •    Eliminates photochemicals
    •    Saves water and energy
2. Establish a solvent recycling program
    •    Saves material
    •    Reduces air pollution
3. Use alcohol-free printing
    •    Improves air quality
    •    Improves worker health and safety
    •    Reduces chemical use
4. Print on "treeless" and recycled content papers
    •    Saves tree, energy, and water
    •    Encourages new agricultural development
    •    Keeps paper out of the landfill
5. Educate customers on "green printing"
    •    Printers produce a "greener" product
    •    Helps in pollution prevention, compliance, resource conservation
6. Use low VOC inks
    •    Reduces air pollution
    •    Improves employee safety
7. Sequence print jobs by ink color
    •    Saves ink changes, labor, ink waste
8. Establish inventory control
    •    Reduces waste to landfill, saves money
9. Communicate without paper
    •    Cuts cost and use of paper and solid waste
    •    Saves time, postage, and/or fax costs
10. Use energy efficient equipment
    •    Saves energy and money

Of course you should also consider the traditional efforts such as:

11.    Reducing aerosols and other ozone-depleting chemicals
12.    Increase your recycling efforts: scrap paper, aluminum plates, corrugated cartons, inks, solvents, bottles, batteries, aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper, plastic, etc

Posted by Howie Fenton on December 12, 2007 | Comments (4)