LEAD STORY: Presents Equal Wood Waste During the Holidays

FEATURE STORY: California Trends: Governments Say Good-bye to Wastes

NEWS BRIEFS
a) King County Buy Recycled Program Soars
b) Reducing the Wood in Junior's Lunch
c) Setting Standards in Green Building Arena
d) Straw Panel Products Still Struggling
e) New Paper Could Revolutionize How We Read
f) Responding to Protests: Staples on the Defensive Takes Baby Steps
g) Flax Mill to Open
h) Once Resistant, Home Depot Now Champions "Good" Wood
i) A New Home for Records
j) Students Lead the Way
k) When Products Reach Retirement
l) Sawdust Matures: Expanding Use for a Byproduct
m) Salvaged Wood from Unexpected Places

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS
green hospital conference

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
mahogany
high value forests
recycling
biocomposites
Interface

LEAD STORY
Presents Equal Wood Waste During the Holidays

Unfortunately, the time for holidays in the United States is also the time for exploding consumption rates for all sorts of materials including wood-based products. Five million extra tons of trash are produced between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day in the United States, reported Environmental Media Services (EMS) in its November 2001 update. (Annual trash from gift wrapping and shopping bags total approximately 4 million tons.) The November 2001 "Wrap Your Gifts in Green" article in Conscious Choice lists a variety of papers that can be reused as gift wrap -- old maps, kids' drawings and calendars. Other alternatives include reusing old shoe boxes, woven baskets, mugs, cloth tote bags and tablecloths.

In addition to paper goods, Americans purchase 50 million Christmas trees annually, and more than 30 million end up in landfills. In fact, a spike in consumption of Christmas trees and other greenery is expected this year as part of our country's emotional response to September 11th. But, a growing number of Americans are using fakes, reported the Washington Post in "Ho, Ho, Faux" on November 29, 2001. The artificial flora industry has ballooned from $3.8 billion in wholesale revenues in 1992 to $6.2 billion in 1999. Whether the growing acceptance of artificial trees, branches and wreaths will make a dent in the consumption of the real thing or whether it just means we consume more of everything remains to be seen. Unfortunately, these fakes have their own range of problems, such as containing PVC and other toxic materials and being manufactured in countries with low labor and environmental standards such as China. (Nearly all American and Canadian factories are out of business.)

Governments and nonprofits offer tips on reducing consumption and waste. See California's Integrated Waste Management Board's "Deck the Halls with Less Waste this Year" site at ." For more information on reducing wood consumption during the holidays, see Co-op America's WoodWise Consumer Guide at . For information on reducing consumption in general during the holidays, see Center for a New American Dream's Simplify the Holiday's site at .

Government agencies which deal with waste issues have a lot of influence over how much wood is consumed. Attempts at reducing or even eliminating wastes, necessarily entails examining and minimizing consumption habits. Wood in particular is impacted, given that paper products account for approximately 40 percent of municipal landfills. For that reason, new waste management policies can reduce wood consumption and stimulate the market for particular products.

California, which already diverts 42 percent of municipal wastes from landfills, has developed a solid waste strategic plan which has taken the waste management conversation in the United States a huge step forward. It incorporates the concepts of "zero waste" (all "wastes" are safely recycled back into products or nature) and "product stewardship" (manufacturers are responsible for products throughout the lifecycle). While these concepts have received much greater acceptance in Europe, California's interest, may signal that the United States is moving in the same direction, according to the November 12 Waste News article, "California Waste Board Tackles Zero Waste, Producer Responsibility." Industry groups are not enthusiastic about the potential new policies, calling them extremely costly with little environmental benefit. The draft plan can be viewed at .

Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response is examining the future of waste management in its draft white paper titled, "Beyond RCRA [Resource Conservation and Recovery Act]: Prospects for Waste and Materials Management in the Year 2020." Passed in 1976, RCRA -- which primarily established hazardous waste management regulations -- was the first federal law which called for federal procurement to prioritize recycled products.

One of the goals of the white paper relates directly to reducing virgin wood consumption -- "reduce waste and increase the efficient and sustainable use of resources." Part of this strategy includes reducing consumption and stimulating the market for recycled products. While this and other issues raised in the paper are valuable, there are topics that do not receive enough attention such as "zero waste," the "carbohydrate economy" (the shift to use carbohydrates from plant matter, versus more toxic substances such as petroleum, as a feeding stock for numerous products from chemicals to buildings) and the use of government purchasing, specifically, as a tool to stimulate the market for sustainable products. Comments are being accepted until January 31, 2002. For more information, see EPA's website at .

a) King County Buy Recycled Program Soars
King County, Washington -- a model in environmentally preferable purchasing (epp) by a government agency -- released its 2001 annual report which showed that county agencies spent $3.8 million on epp. In addition to stimulating the recycled products market, the program saved the County $580,000. King County purchases most printing and office paper through centrally administered contracts which ensures hundreds of recycled paper products at low and consistent prices. Agencies purchased nearly $2.6 million in recycled paper goods, accounting for 97 percent of total papers purchased.

b) Reducing the Wood in Junior's Lunch
Minnesota's Office of Environmental Assistance provides suggestions on how to reduce the consumption of packaging (which is often paper) in its Fall 2001 newsletter, "the Resource." The agency recommends using cloth shopping bags instead of paper, buying in bulk (such as cereals and pastas), purchasing products that are in returnable, reusable or refillable containers (such as milk in a glass jar) and avoiding disposable single-use items such as paper plates and cups. It also lists recommendations on reducing waste (including loads of paper products such as lunch bags and individual food boxes) in school lunches.

c) Setting Standards in Green Building Arena
According to "Oregon Tax Credit for LEED Buildings" in the November 2001 issue of Environmental Building News (EBN), as part of Oregon's Green Building Initiative, the state is giving businesses tax credit for buildings that achieve a Silver rating or higher under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Rating System. The substantial tax credits can pay for extra initial costs of the buildings. In "Standards Available on Sustainability in Building," EBN writes that the Sustainability Subcommittee of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has released a standard on "Terminology" for sustainable buildings containing definitions for dozens of relevant terms (e.g., toxicity, native species, etc.). ASTM has also released a standard on "Data Collection" which recommends the use of a common questionnaire when auditing building product manufacturers. EBN also reported that Construction Specifications Institute is working to incorporate environmental considerations into the organization's operations and format documents.

d) Straw Panel Products Still Struggling
Environmental Building News summarized some of the latest developments in the straw panel industry in "Struggles and Changes in Straw-Panel Production" in its November 2001 issue. The panel products face a number of obstacles, including plants that are too small to compete with the economies of scale of large wood-fiber plants.

e) New Paper Could Revolutionize How We Read
E-newspapers and e-books could be here within a decade, predicts the Scientific American in "The Electronic Paper Chase" in its November 2001 issue. Two companies which are offshoots of major research institutions -- the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory -- are racing to be the first to bring "electronic paper" to the market. The companies are working to make the innovation as paper-like as possible. The prototypes are thin, flexible and rubbery, and can be reused millions of times without wearing out. Electronic paper uses electronic ink which can be instantaneously erased and reused. The implication for paper consumption could be enormous. Innovators see a new era of store signs and billboards that are effortlessly updated, e-books with similar feels to traditional books and magazines and newspapers which are delivered wirelessly to page displays.

f) Responding to Protests: Staples on the Defensive Takes Baby Steps
According to the November 6, 2001 article "Major Office Retailer Stocking Natural Fiber Paper" in AgFiber Technology News, Staples, the world's largest office supply store, now sells a paper containing 10 percent industrial hemp made by Living Tree Paper Company. Staples also recently began offering two new recycled paper lines containing 10 percent and 50 percent post-consumer recycled content, according to a November 13, 2001 Forest Ethics / Dogwood Alliance press release. The new products are offered following months of intense campaigning by activists protesting the sale of paper made from endangered forests at Staples -- 200 demonstrations were held nationwide on November 13, 2001. Seen as mere window dressing, activists were critical of Staples' move to offer only a few new recycled products and to co-sponsor "America Recycles Day." (Indeed, a quick search on Staples' internet site using a Washington, DC-based zip code revealed that of the 45,000 products listed under office supplies, only 50 came up as recycled, including different colors for the same product. Staples states that it sells 1,000 recycled office products through the Internet, catalog and retail stores.)

g) Flax Mill to Open
A South Carolina flax fiber processing mill will soon be operational, according to "Eastern Flax South Carolina LLC. Completes Flax Fiber Processing Line" in the November 28, 2001 issue of AgFiber Technology News. Experimental trials are assessing flax's potential as a replacement crop for cotton and tobacco. The fibers would be used primarily for nonwoven products in biocomposites and absorbency products.

h) Once Resistant, Home Depot Now Champions "Good" Wood
Home Depot -- the largest home improvement retailer in the world -- highlights its leadership in "greening" its wood procurement policy in 1999 in the Southface Journal of Sustainable Building's Fall 2001 issue. The article states that suppliers have helped to increase Home Depot's sales of certified wood by more than 400 percent. The company has also looked at its own operations, recycling paper, cardboard and pallets, among other materials.

i) A New Home for Records
Records, such as marriage and divorce certificates, voter registration, professional licenses, real estate records, criminal convictions, as well as private information such as credit histories, were once stored in backroom file cabinets, reports the New York Times in the November 22, 2001 article, "What Did You Do Before the War?" Now, much of this information is being stored digitally. The upside is that it may play a role in reducing the consumption of paper. (The downside, of course, is the intrusion into individuals' privacy rights.)

j) Students Lead the Way
According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Campus Ecology's November Network Update, a number of university projects are pursuing strategies which could impact wood consumption on their campuses. An NWF fellow in Vermont's Sterling College is designing an ecological building design guide for the university's new residence halls and advocating the use of environmentally preferable materials. Another NWF fellow attending the University of California in Santa Cruz is working to implement green purchasing strategies. In Vassar College in New York, the university is researching the potential to use reusable dishware. Meanwhile, the November 2001 issue of the Wintergreen newsletter, produced by Steven Winters and Associates, reports that an increasing number of colleges are seeking to build green. Ramapo College in New Jersey is planning a new "Sustainability Center" built of environmentally preferable materials.

k) When Products Reach Retirement
The Product Stewardship Institute completed a six-month project which on how product stewardship should be approached for state and local government agencies, reported Waste News on November 12, 2001 in "Product Stewardship Institute Produces Stewardship Roadmap." The five principles developed by the institute call for industry, government and consumers to share responsibility for the lifecycle of a product. The institute found that since governments cannot pay for the needed environmental waste programs, manufacturers and consumer will begin to bear the burden of these costs. Manufacturers will then have a direct financial incentive to design for reduced disposal costs and environmental impacts.

l) Sawdust Matures: Expanding Use for a Byproduct
Sawdust is being used more frequently in paper and building products such as medium-density fiberboard, according to "Wider Use of Sawdust Boosts Demand for the Material" in the November 26, 2001 issue of Waste News. Some industry representatives hope to use more of this product as an alternative to cutting additional trees.

m) Salvaged Wood from Unexpected Places
Failed dot-coms are not the only suppliers of salvaged wood and other products and materials. Salvaged church furnishings are being used for religious and secular buildings, according to the Washington Post November 29, 2001 article "Divine Inspiration." Vestment cabinets, kneeling benches, and pews are among the wood artifacts that are being adapted for new uses, reducing the need for new virgin wood products.

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS

The Center of Health Design's annual convention in Nashville from December 5-8, 2001 includes several tracks that deal with sustainability issues.

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

As a result of Greenpeace's recently released publication "Partners in Mahogany Crime" which exposes illegal logging in the Amazon and the US companies that drive this consumption, the Brazil government announced an unprecedented move to cancel all mahogany operations in the Amazon, effectively shutting down the illegal mahogany trade. For a copy of the report, see <http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/forests/mahogany.pdf>. For more information on this issue, see <http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/forests/>.

The Union of Concerned Scientists and the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Tropical Forest Sciences published a new report titled, "Logging Off: Mechanisms to Stop or Prevent Industrial Logging in Forests of High Conservation Value." While the report unfortunately does not mention reducing consumption as a mechanism, it has useful information nonetheless. For a copy of the report, see <http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/LoggingOff.pdf>.

National Recycling Coalition (NRC) released a report showing that the employment benefits of the recycling industry appear to be at an all-time high. The largest employer of the recycling industry is the paper sector with nearly 140,000 employees and $49 billion in annual receipts. For a copy of the report, see NRC's website at http://www.nrc-recycle.org/.

Principia Partners of York, Pennsylvania will produce a new publication in 2002 titled, "Natural/Wood Fiber - Based Polymer Composites - Newsletter" reported AgFiber Technology News in November 28, 2001. For information, contact Jim Morton at 717.741.3565.

Interface Research Corporation released its first online sustainability report at <http://www.interfacesustainability.com>. Interface -- the world's largest commercial carpet manufacturer -- is working to provide sustainable floor coverings.