LEAD STORY: UK Consumers Driving Rainforest Destruction

FEATURE STORY: Agricultural Residues Pursued

NEWS BRIEFS
a) Expanding Ways to Consume Wood
b) Industry Going Electronic
c) Less Paper Pushing by Attorneys
d) Do-It-Yourself in Decline
e) Corporate Focus on Industrial Hemp
f) Timber Industry Encourages More Demand for Wood
g) Toronto Studies Feasibility of Zero Waste in 2010
h) Government Reduces Wood Consumption at Conferences
i) Wood Alternatives Less Toxic
j) Carbohydrate Economy in the Spotlight
k) Companies Increase Recycled Newsprint Use
l) Wood Consumed for Electricity
m) Building Construction Environmental Statistics

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS
used building material conference
corporations fight campaigns

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
magazine industry study
biobased website

LEAD STORY
UK Consumers Driving Rainforest Destruction

The Guardian reported on June 26, 2001 in "Rainforests Hit By Paper Trail to UK" that the newspaper's investigation revealed a flood of cheap paper made from Indonesian rainforest timber -- produced by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) -- is entering Britain. The industry is endangering some of the rarest animals in the world -- the Sumatran rhinoceros, the Sumatran tiger and the orangutan.

And, public agencies are among the consumers of the paper despite the fact that the government stresses the use of sustainably made products. Britain's imports of Indonesian paper rose from 10,000 tonnes a year to 85,000 tonnes a year during the late 1990s. A government official stated that central purchasing agency buys as much recycled paper as possible, but that they have no method of auditing where the virgin wood used in the paper purchased originates.

Friends of the Earth responded that consumption of wood pulp and paper, supported by international investment (British banks have substantially financed the paper manufacturer), has destroyed some of the most valuable forests on earth.

FEATURE STORY
Agricultural Residues Pursued

According to the AgFiber Technology Newsletter, June 28 article, "Government Funded Consortium Develops New Processes to Use Wheat Straw in Biobased Products," a number of government, business and academic interests are collaborating in Idaho to develop ways of using agricultural residues for biomass. The federally-funded research is focused on more efficiently processing straw residues for end uses such as fuel, particleboard, etc. And, the June 14 issue of the newsletter reported that Universal Pulping, Inc. is leading an effort to convert a recently closed Ponderosa Fibers de-inking mill at Walulla, Washington into a straw-based pulp mill. The mill would consume 300 to 500 tons of straw daily and generate $1.2-$3 million in monthly revenue.

Meanwhile, Dow Chemical Canada Inc. officials stated on June 17, 2001 their intention to pursue agricultural residue manufacturing, acquiring a majority of the Manitoba assets of Isobord Enterprises, Inc. Following this statement, Dow officials announced on June 27,2001 the creation of Dow BioProducts Ltd., which will make straw composite panels for use in construction in a Manitoba manufacturing facility. The company claims that the panels, to be marketed under the name WOODSTALK(TM), avoid wood, relieving pressure on forests, do not release any volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are lighter than competitive products while maintaining similar strength characteristics, provide better machinability and have better resistance to moisture.

Fiber Futures will soon host a web-based resource "Sourcebook Straw Utilization" (the sourcebook will also be available as a hard copy). The site will provide a variety of information on straw utilization in the Pacific Northwest. The organization is still gathering publications, articles, reports, news clippings, pictures and graphics on the topic for the site. To submit a resource or for more information, contact Fiber Futures at [email protected]. For more information, see Fiber Futures.

a) Expanding Ways to Consume Wood
Wood is consumed for a surprising variety of products as was highlighted by a June 22, 2001 Associated Press article, "Natural Sweetener Made from Wood Wastes." According to the article, scientists are studying the possibility of making a sweetener for gum and toothpaste out of wood waste. The process is used outside of the United States using wood from birch trees. And, while industrial hemp and other plants have received publicity about their relatively new role in car parts, wood is also being used to manufacture car parts, according to Sodra Cell's Spring 2001 Responze article, "A Well-Known Fibre Heading for the Future." The magazine also confirms other recent articles about the expanding use of paper in the information age in its article "Paper is Favoured by the IT Development."

b) Industry Going Electronic
Airline carriers are increasingly eliminating paper tickets in favor of e-tickets, according to the June 24, 2001 article "Airlines Rev Up E-Ticket Efforts" in the New York Times. This move should reduce the airline industry's paper use as passengers will only get a boarding pass at the gate, instead of both a paper ticket and a boarding pass. (Although the move isn't for altruistic reasons -- the cost of issuing a paper ticket is estimated at $4 to $5 including labor and materials.) Electronic ticket sales have reached 56 to 57 percent through travel agents. Airlines place electronic tickets at 60 percent and climbing.

c) Less Paper Pushing by Attorneys
Due to the legal profession's inordinate consumption of paper, the California Integrated Waste Management Board is researching law firms of varying sizes that have successfully implemented waste reduction programs, according to the Waste News, June 22, 2001 article "California Waste Board Urges Lawyers to Recycle Paper Waste." The year-long project is part of an effort to address paper consumption at law firms which can regularly generate many tons of paper annually. The project, which hopes to highlight stellar case studies in a report this fall, is part of the board's larger effort to reduce paper waste by 50 percent.

d) Do-It-Yourself in Decline
On June 22, 2001, the Wall Street Journal Reported in "The Death of Do-It-Yourself" that even with growth slowing in the renovation industry, the portion of homeowners hiring professionals has increased 25 percent since 1995. The article presents mixed signals for the future of wood consumption in building renovations. Professionals may generate less wood waste on a project, since less experienced do-it-yourselfers are more likely to make mistakes estimating how much material they need and are more likely to do a job over again. And, renovations are certainly preferable over new constructions. However, the article noted that the number of specialty contractors increased dramatically between 1992 and 1997. Given Americans' appetite for increasingly larger homes, signs that the rate of renovations may rise could signal an increased rate of wood consumption.

e) Corporate Focus on Industrial Hemp
On June 19, 2001, the Hartford Courant spotlighted the Body Shop's support of industrial hemp in its article, "Hemp is Not Marijuana." In addition to providing basic information about industrial hemp, the Body Shop's website is also advocating that consumers send an email petition (sponsored jointly with votehemp.com) to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Meanwhile industrial hemp in motor vehicles was highlighted in ABCNews.com's June 5, 2001 article "Hemp Cars Could Be Wave of Future" by Amanda Onion. According to the article, approximately 10 to 11 million vehicles reach the end of their useful lives annually. And, a car that is made mostly of industrial hemp, could be naturally composted.

f) Timber Industry Encourages More Demand for Wood
Delegates of the recent International Tropical Timber Organization June meeting concluded a need to increase consumer demand for tropical timber, according to Reuters News Service's "Timber Group Urges Campaign to Push Demand," June 5, 2001. The industry is concerned about the weakened market for tropical timber. The group's press release stated that delegates favor a "generic timber promotional effort" to describe tropical timber as more environmentally benign when compared to some non-wood sources.

g) Toronto Studies Feasibility of Zero Waste in 2010
Waste News reported on June 4, 2001 in "Toronto Task Force Readies Report on Feasibility of Achieving Zero Waste by 2010" that the report on the viability of Toronto's zero waste in 2010 plan should be out this summer. The reduction targets are 30 percent by 2003, 60 percent by 2006, 80 percent by 2009 and 100 percent by 2010. Zero waste would likely have a large impact on the consumption of virgin wood, since approximately 40 percent of the waste stream in municipal landfills is paper.

h) Government Reduces Wood Consumption at Conferences
According to Government Executive Magazine's June 1, 2001 article, "Taking the Torment Out of Conference Travel," the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration, along with professional meeting planners are collaborating to ensure more "green" government conferences. The "green " strategies that are being pursued include items such as replacing disposable paper cups with reusable glasses, implementing web-based registrations instead of paper registration forms and distributing conference handouts, proceedings, etc., electronically. For more information, see EPA's Green Conference Initiative website.

i) Wood Alternatives Less Toxic
According to the article "Green Remodeling: Keeping it Green" in the June issue of Solar Today, alternative building products reduce toxic levels compared to some traditional, wood-based products (in addition to their role in reducing the consumption of wood). Among the recommended products were formaldehyde free straw-based panels, cork and bamboo flooring and earthen and straw bale buildings.

j) Carbohydrate Economy in the Spotlight
Sustainable Business.com (www.sustablebusiness.com) extolled the virtues of a carbohydrate economy in its June Highlights, Spotlight section article titled, "The Carbohydrate Economy: Return to BioBased Products." The article briefly discussed federal government initiatives, a compostable dishes case study and obstacles to market implementation.

k) Companies Increase Recycled Newsprint Use
In its article, "California Increases Use of Recycled Newsprint," Recycled Paper News reported in the May 2001 issue, volume 11, no 8 that California companies are increasingly printing on recycled newsprint with many voluntarily using more recycled content in their operations than legally required. The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) found that the industry reached a record of 1.1 million metric tons of recycled content newsprint, accounting for 64 percent of all newsprint used in 1999.

l) Wood Consumed for Electricity
Recycled Paper News' May 2001 issue, volume 11, no 8 reported in "Forest Products Industry Applauds Energy Report" about the American Forest & Paper Association's (AFPA) interest in providing electricity to the grid. According to AFPA President, W. Henson Moore, the association is "testing new biomass gasification technologies that could transform our industry into a major supplier of electricity to the national grid."

m) Building Construction Environmental Statistics
Environmental Building News compiled statistics on the environmental consequences of the construction industry in its May 2001, volume 10, number 5 issue feature article, "Buildings and the Environment: The Numbers." According to the article, there are 1.6 million new homes built annually. Almost 90 percent are built of wood light frame. Only 5,000 are made of natural building systems (adobe, straw bale, rammed earth, etc.) And, the average size of a house has increased by 105 percent from 1950 to 1999.

CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS

The Used Building Materials Association (UBMA) is holding its 4th annual conference, "Harvesting the Future" in Portland, Oregon from September 5 to September 8, 2001. UBMA is a nonprofit group that represents companies and organizations involved in the acquisition and/or redistribution of used building materials. For more information on the conference, see their website at www.ubma.org.

The organizations that are the leaders in market-based campaigns aimed at reducing wood consumption in the largest corporations are dealing with a corporate backlash. Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is under attack from anti-environmental activists that have requested the Internal Revenue Service to revoke RAN's tax-exempt status. RAN states that Boise Cascade, the company it is targeting in campaigns, may be behind the attack. For more information see RAN's press release. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe refused to run a Forest Ethics advertisement on Staples. For more information on this controversy, see Stop Staples.

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

The PAPER Project, a joint effort by the Independent Press Association, Conservatree and Co-op America, has recently published "Turning the Page: Environmental Impacts of the Magazine Industry and Recommendations for Improvement." The study found that the magazine industry's voracious consumption of virgin paper contributes extensively to deforestation, accounting for the loss of 35 million trees annually. For more information on the PAPER Project and the study, see their website at Magazine PAPER Project.

A new web-based source of information on biobased issues is available at www.biobased.org. Created by AgroTech Communications, The Biobased Information System provides information on agricultural fibers, bioenergy, legislation, new crops, new uses and other topics, and enables users to submit press releases, editorial articles, etc.