LEAD STORY: New Campaign Targets Magazine Industry's Paper Consumption

FEATURE STORY: Agricultural Fibers Highlighted in Recent News

NEWS BRIEFS
a) Staples Introduces Recycled Paper in Copy Centers
b) Reducing Paper Use in Legal Profession
c) New Currency Exposes Paper Consumption
d) Conference Reduces Paper Use
e) University Purchasing Policy Bans Old-Growth
f) Cheney Backs Wood for Fuel Plan
g) Corporations Divert Wood Products for Reuse
h) The Economist Calls for Forest Certification
i) Publishers Look to Reduce Paper Use Due to Price War
j) Another Disposable Cup Alternative Announced
k) Doctor's Office Virtually Eliminates Paper Use
l) Florida University to Build Green
m) Demand Drives Deforestation
n) Model Construction Recycling Project Undertaken

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS
industrial hemp expo
MD recycling conference
"green" lab conference
White House recycling conference
Bill Moyers report
kenaf conference

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
PVC alternatives
recycling economics study
Environmental Signals 2001

LEAD STORY
New Campaign Targets Magazine Industry's Paper Consumption

Inside.com reported on May 17, 2001 in "Environmentalists Target Large Tree-Killing Enterprise: Magazine Publishing" about the new Printing Alternatives Promoting Environmental Responsibility (PAPER) project campaign. This coalition of organizations, including Co-op America, the Independent Press Association and Conservatree, is pressuring the magazine industry, beginning with Conde Nast Traveler which hosts an annual eco-tourism award, to pursue "greener" alternatives. The coalition's goal is to persuade the magazine industry to eliminate paper from old-growth and to switch to a minimum of 10 percent recycled and chlorine-free paper. The Magazine Publishers of America, the industry's trade association, has responded by giving members suggestions on how to respond to criticisms.

While there are some "green" magazines, such as Discover Magazine and Sierra which use recycled paper, the industry is ripe for a campaign because fewer than six percent of all U.S. magazines use recycled paper. Furthermore, only one third of the magazines shipped to newsstands are read -- the majority of the remaining material is landfilled or incinerated.

For more information on the project, see www.EcoPaperAction.org.

FEATURE STORY
Agricultural Fibers Highlighted in Recent News

Recent news articles spotlight the in-roads that agricultural fibers are making into a variety of end products from building materials to biocomposites to papers.

A May 1, Financial Times article, "Inside Track: A Plant with the Potential to Shelter the World: Bamboo" delves into the use of bamboo -- a wood alternative -- by design and architecture professionals not just for interior applications, such as flooring, but for structural applications as well. One of the organizations highlighted in the article is Environmental Bamboo Foundation which works on an international level to increase recognition of bamboo's economic and environmental importance.

While wood remains the predominant fiber in natural biocomposites, agricultural fibers are being increasingly utilized. According to AgFiber News' May article, "DaimlerChrysler Launches Sisal Textile Plant with Brits Textiles," Daimler Chrysler is creating a new natural fiber plant in South Africa. Brits Textiles which manufactures non-woven textiles for automotive, building, clothing and textile industries will produce sisal mats which will then be molded into rear parcel shelves for the C-Class Mercedes Benz. Meanwhile, Australian researchers have determined that industrial hemp is the most viable material for biodegradable car bodies, beating out coconuts and banana trees in preliminary studies, according to the May 21, 2000 Independent Online news article, "Aussie Boffins Work on Cannabis Cars." The research addresses the problem of the disposal of vehicles at the end of their useful lives.

Other researchers are working to perfect biodegradable shopping and garbage bags from maize starch -- an alternative to paper bags, according to Reuters' May 30, 2001 article, "Italians Strive to Save the Planet with Bioplastics." The researchers working for Novamont in Novara, Italy are looking for end uses -- such as plates, food containers, bags, etc., -- for its maize-based plastic in order to minimize industry's impact on the environment.

Agricultural papers have also been in the news. In Business magazine highlights Green Field Paper Company in its March/April 2001 issue in "Writing On Garlic Skins: Environmentally Preferable Papermaker." The company uses a variety of non-wood fibers such as industrial hemp, junk mail, organic cotton trim and garlic skins to make journals, stationery, sketch books and cards. For more information, see their website at .

And, Vision Paper recently announced in its Vision Paper News, Spring 2001 that it is progressing in its plans for the world's first chlorine-free kenaf paper mill. The company has also introduced a new sheet -- coated kenaf. Coated Kenaf is available in 80# cover and 60# text. For more information, see Vision Paper.

a) Staples Introduces Recycled Paper in Copy Centers
Following numerous demonstrations outside of their retail stores, Staples will take some action to increase recycled products in their stores, according to "Staples Will Increase Recycled Paper Offerings" in Recycled Paper News, April 2001. Staples' in-store copy centers will begin to offer recycled paper as an alternative to virgin paper. A Staples executive asserts that the company is negotiating to bring in higher post-consumer content recycled paper and ag-based papers, but stresses that these negotiations are not a done deal. Staples has not agreed to stop selling paper that is made of 100 percent virgin wood fiber.

b) Reducing Paper Use in Legal Profession
Recycled Paper News also reported in its April 2001 issue that the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) is developing case studies of waste reduction efforts at law firms. CIWMB is hoping to identify different sized law firms that have significantly reduced paper use and increased recycling. For more information, contact Gary Liss & Associates, the contractor for the project at 916-652-7850.

c) New Currency Exposes Paper Consumption
Europe is preparing for its shift to a new currency from the francs, lire, drachmas and German marks to the euro, according to a May 7 article in The Washington Post titled, "Euro Inspires Little Confidence." Beginning in January 2002, old money from banks, stores and automated teller machines will be collected, and 16 billion euro notes will be distributed -- equal to 50 times the circumference of the equator. Due to the technical specifications of currency, the bills will be made of cotton fiber and not wood fiber. For more information about the euro, see the adobe acrobat brochure, The Euro Banknotes and Coins.

d) Conference Reduces Paper Use
The Environmental Justice conference and March for Economic Justice held on May 12, 2001 in Santa Barbara, California strove to reduce its impact on wood consumption by using alternatives. Conference advertisements were done electronically and on kenaf paper. And, the conference planners worked to reduce the amount of waste generated. More information can be found at www.peoplesmarch.org.

e) University Purchasing Policy Bans Old-Growth
Indiana University announced that it would prohibit the purchase of products derived from old growth forests in its purchasing policy, according to a May 4, 2001 joint press release from Indiana University, Student Environmental Action Coalition and American Lands Alliance. The university's students and administrators worked together to formulate the policy which applies to all wood product contracts including paper, construction and furniture.

f) Cheney Backs Wood for Fuel Plan
Vice President Dick Cheney is backing the Bush administration plan to use agricultural and other waste for use in energy production as a way to show its support of more environmentally preferable energy options, according to a May 8 New York Times article, "Cheney is Backing Plan to Expand Cleaner Sources of Energy." Under this scheme, wood could be used to make a "new ethanol." AP reported on May 10 in "US Energy Plan Will Endorse Biofuels" that trees could be included in the definition of "biofuels."

g) Corporations Divert Wood Products for Reuse
Waste News reported on May 9 in its article "National Recycling Group Reduces Waste Disposal Expenses for Retailers" that Reuse Development Organization Inc. (ReDO) has worked with well known companies, such as Ford Motor Co., Eddie Bauer and Home Depot to find sources for their surplus, used, outdated, etc., materials. By ensuring that their wood and other materials were reused, the companies not only reduced their own disposal expenses, but also reduced the consumption of new virgin wood products.

h) The Economist Calls for Forest Certification
On May 10, The Economist's article, "'Sustainable Management' Could Help to Save the Amazonian Rainforest without Harming Economic Development" described the Forest Stewardship Council and consumer efforts to buy certified forest products -- a sign of the market place's increasing acceptance of ecolabel products and the growing stigma attached to uncertified, virgin wood.

i) Publishers Look to Reduce Paper Use Due to Price War
A lengthy May 14, New York Times article, "Why Newspapers and Newsprint Makers Are at War," showed how a price war can impact wood consumption. According to the article, one of the strategies used by publishers to respond to an increased cost in newsprint, was to reduce the dimensions of their newspapers by an inch or more in 2000 which saved tons of newsprint.

j) Another Disposable Cup Alternative Announced
EarthShell Corporation, manufacturer of an environmentally preferable clam-shell style food container, announced that is beginning tests on a new compostable hot beverage cup, according to the May 14 article, "Compostable Hot-beverage Cups Aim for Splash" in Waste News. The cup, made primarily of limestone and starch would replace paper and polystyrene cups in the $1-billion per year hot cup market.

k) Doctor's Office Virtually Eliminates Paper Use
While new technologies have not borne the promise of a paperless society, some offices have indeed eliminated paper in favor of electronic communication. In Washington, DC, a new, three physician ear, nose and throat practice has become one of the first practices in the nation to go "paperless," according to the May 15, Washington Post article, "Doctors Go Digital." Currently, only three percent of doctors in private practice use electronic medical records. In addition to reducing paper consumption, the system has had numerous other benefits such as decreased errors on prescriptions and faster delivery of reports to referring doctors.

l) Florida University to Build Green
Having raised sufficient funds, Florida Gulf Coast University will begin the design phase for a green building project that will utilize environmentally preferable methods and materials in December 2001, according to the May 16, 2001 Environmental News Network article, "Florida School Gets Green Light to Build Eco-Development Center." The "WCI Green Building Demonstration and Learning Center" in Fort Meyers, Florida will use resource-efficient and non-toxic construction materials.

m) Demand Drives Deforestation
In the first of its three part series, "Raiding the Rainforest: For a Global Treasure, a New Threat" the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on May 20, 2001 about Asian companies which are logging tropical timber in countries with weak regulations. The article states that "the demand for wood is apparently insatiable" and that even the World Bank has reported that "international logging has become 'a much greater factor' in the problem" after long insisting that subsistence agriculture was the main culprit for tropical forest destruction. The World Bank now estimates that annual demand for wood is expected to increase by almost 25 percent by 2010.

n) Model Construction Recycling Project Undertaken
Waste News reported on May 23, 2001 in "Wisconsin Project Gauges Cost-effectiveness of Recycling Construction Debris" that Alliant Energy Corporation recycled more than 50 percent of the solid waste generated during the construction of their new headquarters. The model project will demonstrate whether the recycling program, which targeted scrap wood, cardboard and office paper among other materials, reduced the cost of the construction. While the building is only 80 percent complete, initial data indicate that the recycling program is cost-effective and simple.

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS

The fourth annual Santa Cruz Industrial Hemp Expo was held on May 12-13 featuring California Assemblymember Virginia Strom-Martin (D-Dunans Mills) as the keynote speaker. For more information on this expo, see www.cruzexpo.com.

The Maryland Recyclers Coalition is holding its annual conference on June 5-6. For more information about the conference, see www.marylandrecyclers.org.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy are hosting a 2001 conference on Labs in the 21st Century in Washington, DC on October 2-4, 2001. The focus of the conference will be comprehensive "whole buildings" approach for environmentally sound laboratories. Among other topics, resource efficiency in designing and constructing labs will be explored. For more information on this topic, see www.epa.gov/labs21century.

The 2001 National Recycling Congress on October 13, 2001 in Seattle, WA -- hosted by the White House Task Force on Recycling and the National Recycling Coalition -- will include a session on biobased products as a "greener" alternative, among other topics. For more information about the conference, see www.ofee.gov.

On Tuesday, June 19, 2001, PBS will premier Bill Moyers Reports: Earth on the Edge at 8 pm ET. The program visits five ecosystems, including the forests of British Columbia, to report on the impact of the human species on Earth. The program's companion book -- World Resources 2000-2001: People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life -- states that while productive ecosystems provide fiber, paper, lumber, etc., most measures of ecosystem health show that the pressure on them is increasing. For instance, by 2050, demand for wood could double.

The American Kenaf Society will hold its fourth annual meeting of the American Kenaf Society on November 15-17, 2001. For more information on the conference, see the American Kenaf Society website at www.kenafsociety.org.

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Greenpeace has released a PVC Alternatives Database which also includes some suppliers of non-certified, virgin wood alternatives. For more information, see PVC Alternatives Database.

The Northeast Recycling Council and REI have produced the Recycling Economic Information Study which provides information and statistics about the economic activity generated by the Northeast's recycling and reuse industry. The study shows that the region has 206,000 employed in recycling and re-use industries with a $6.8 billion annual payroll -- an effective argument for reducing virgin wood consumption and substituting recycled or "used" alternatives. For more information, see the Recycling Economic Information Study.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) released its Environmental Signals 2001 report which highlighted the need for public policy to influence growing production and consumption. While the document does not focus on wood consumption directly, its discussion of consumption issues in general and specific details such as the growing use of second homes and the increase in ecolabel products may be of interest to RCA-News readers. See the full Environmental Signals 2001 Report