In today's world of complete and total awareness of the impact the human race has on planet Earth, Girlawhirl's keenly aware of everything she does. Not washing out a moldy jar of something that she finds in the back of her fridge and tossing it into the regular garbage causes her such anxiety that she'll surely pick through her trash the next day and clean out the mess so the jar can then be recycled. And yet there are whole industries that continue to operate as if they are immune to what's happening to the planet, or worse yet, are above it all...
And sadly, the magazine industry falls into this category. Truth be told, Girlawhirl can't give up her glossies – because she can't imagine her life without them. They keep her on top of all the trends, supply her with new recipes to try and make traveling so much more bearable. Of course, she and her Super Pals pass theirs around and make sure to recycle them when they're done, but why is it that 95% of magazines are printed on brand new paper, resulting in the loss of a tree per second just to fuel the demand?
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Publishers have long said that it's not cost effective to make the switch, or that papers that contain post consumer recycled content don't have the right amount of glossiness, or that the supply just isn't there. But according to the Magazine PAPER Project for Co-op America, that's all just not true. In fact, since June, 2007, Inc. and Fast Company have been printed on 100% recycled paper, and many magazines, including Every Day With Rachel Ray, Body and Soul, and more use environmentally responsible paper, either by printing on paper that contains post-consumer recycled content and/or responsibly sourced virgin fibers. To see a list of them click here.
Unfortunately, Girlawhirl's fashion favorites aren't on the list. Because it's Earth Day, she's decided to do something about that by following the suggestions on the Magazine PAPER website, and sending a short, sweet but firm note via email to her favorite magazines today.
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| Mar 16, 2006: | read and recycle. read full entry |