Introduction

‘Green’ Printing?

How can printing be ‘green?’ It consumes trees. Shouldn't we eliminate all print, and move everything to the internet? Good questions. But have you ever considered the staggering amount of electric power required to support all the computers and networks that send and receive electronic communications? Data Centers alone are projected to consume $7.4 billion worth of electric power by 2011 (www.nortel.com). That's enough electricity to power 10 million homes. And electric power isn't ‘green’ by any means. It's generated, for the most part, from non-renewable fossil fuels. Paper, on the other hand, comes from a renewable resource – trees. And, it takes a lot less power to turn trees into paper than to run every computer device on the World Wide Web.

‘Green’ & Growing

Trees are eco-friendly, unlike coal or petroleum. And, after trees are harvested, new trees are planted to take their place. In contrast, when miners blow the top off a mountain, and rip coal from its veins, no new coal is ‘planted.’ And when oil companies suck oil from the Earth, there's no new oil to replace it. Trees, like vegetables, are renewable resources. So saying let’s not use paper, is like saying let's not eat vegetables.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy has coined the phrase Conservation by Design. We like it. And, we borrow it to best express our own commitment to conservation and the environment. In our judgment, the first step in conservation is minimizing waste… then you move to recycling. And minimizing waste doesn't happen accidentally. It takes a plan. It takes an investment. It takes a commitment. It takes… a design.

Setting Expectations

This is not the definitive document on conservation… environmental responsibility… or ‘green’ printing. However, you will find it a practical guide to help you shrink waste, starting with design and carrying all the way through to delivery. It provides tips that will literally help you save thousands of square feet of paper every time you send a job to print.

Key Strategies

Riverside has five key strategies in its CbD program:

Your commitment to these five strategies is guaranteed to minimize waste in the print process and confirm your belief in Conservation by Design.

Your Branding Opportunity

If your organization is committed to conservation, let your customers know about it. Imagine the positive impact you'll have in the marketplace if you begin printing a small, but prominent, message on all your materials that states:

We are committed to conservation. Our printing process uses up to 85% less power, eliminates up to 3,200 square feet of waste paper, uses recycled stock, soy-based inks, and just-in-time ordering to minimize waste and shrink land-fills.

Your exact wording may vary, but the point is: how do you think your customers, and prospective customers will respond to that message?

Continue to Strategy 1 - Technology >

Index - Conservation by Design

  1. Introduction
  2. Strategy 1 - Technology
  3. Strategy 2 - Design
  4. Strategy 3 - Paper
  5. Strategy 4 - Print-On-Demand
  6. Strategy 5 - Delivery
©2012 Riverside Graphics, a Chicago Printing and Copying Company