The FORUM Effect

Plant a Tree...Today is National Arbor Day!

In the April issue of the FORUM magazine there was an article on Printing in the Environmental Age which included information on how trees play a vital role in our survival, as they absorb carbon dioxide and trap atmospheric pollutants, reduce the amount of excess nitrogen and phosphorus that enter our water systems and provide habitat for 90% of the plant and animal species on our planet.   

That article revealed one way associations can contribute to the protection of our forests and their ecosystems...by using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) paper and chain -of-custody printers.  But, In addition to environmentally preferred purchasing, what else can you do?  You can celebrate National Arbor Day, today April 25, 2008, by planting or buying a tree!

National Arbor Day, founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, is celebrated by most states on the 3rd Friday in April.  However, some states celebrate Arbor Day on a different date, depending on the best time to plant trees in their region.  Illinois, whose state tree is the White Oak, is one of the states that celebrates today, while Alaska celebrates the 3rd Monday in May and Georgia celebrates the 3rd Friday in February. 

Visit the Arbor Day Foundation web-site at www.arborday.org to learn more about National Arbor Day around the nation and how you can contribute to the reforestation of our nation's forests through their Trees for America program, where a one dollar donation will  provide for the planting of one tree in a damaged forest.  Also, The Arbor Day Foundation is currently offering you 10 free trees (6" to 12"), with free shipping, for a $10-$15 membership!

Submitted by: Carol Forssander.ABS Graphics. 630-613-2483

Celebrate, It's Earth Day!

Dust off that bike and take it for a spin.  Take a walk in your favorite patch of nature.   Make a donation to your favorite environmental group.  Commit to one, a few, or many of the 25 ways to green your office in this month's FORUM.  Or just take a moment to say thanks.  Whatever you do, do something today.  Today is April 22. Earth Day.  The day each year where we are encouraged to pause and remember the Earth. 

It's an important day when you think about it.  Maybe even one of the most important days, really.  Where would we be with the Earth after all? That's why on this one day, I encourage each of us to do something (anything) to make the Earth a better place (even it it's just taking a walk or a bike ride and appreciating it).   

And, when April 23 rolls around, I encourage us all to try to live the true message of Earth Day: "Make Earth Day Every Day."  That slogan has been around for a while, I know.  And maybe it's even a bit overused.  At the heart of it though, it's still as appropriate today, Earth Day 2008, as on the Earth Day it was surely coined.  It's also still fitting on each of the 364 days until April 22, 2009 too.  Happy Earth Day...or rather, Happy Earth Year!

LEED for Existing Buildings: a roadmap for green building operations and maintenance

Buildings cast a huge environmental footprint.  In the U.S. alone, buildings consume 70 percent of all electricity, generate 70 percent of all solid waste, utilize 40 percent of water, and emit 35 percent of all carbon emissions.   If our country is to turn the tide on global warming and start down the road to a more sustainable future, making new and existing buildings more efficient must be a central priority.  Further, given that there are many more existing buildings in the marketplace than newly constructed ones, more attention must be given to greening how these existing buildings utilize energy and water, in the amount of waste they generate, and in they types of products they buy and use.   Enter, LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance, a green building rating system specifically designed for greening operations of any existing building type, wheter it was built only a few years ago, a few decades, or longer.

LEED for Existing Buildings provides a roadmap for greening a building's operations and maintenance around 5 main areas: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.  In January, the U.S. Green Building Council release a new version of LEED for Existing Buildings, making it easier for a building to certify its ongoing operations and maintenance practices.  The revision includes a more streamlined approach to certification, increased focus on ongoing operations and maintenance, and ease of scaling the system to certify mulitple buildings simultaneously.   

A recent case study of Adobe System's recent LEED for Existing Buildings project (building managed by Cushman and Wakefield) finds that green building operations and maitenance practices netted not just huge environmental benefits, but also significant financial benefits, including a less than 2-year payback for all green features implmented and a 121 percent return on investment.

The Chicago Chapter of USGBC is offering several LEED for Existing Buildings trainings and events in the coming months.  For more information on upcoming programs, visit the Chapter web site at: www.usgbc-chicago.org.  For more specific information on the LEED for Existing Buildings Rating Sytem, visit the U.S. Green Building Council at: www.usgbc.org.   

What is the difference between Petroleum-based, Soy-based and Vegetable-based inks?

Petroleum-based inks emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air causing respiratory problems. They also contain heavy metals that can contaminate soil and groundwater. 

Vegetable-based inks are manufactured using various vegetable oils mixed with some petroleum oil.  The oils, whether vegetable or petroleum, are used to adjust both the tack and viscosity of the ink.  Vegetable-based ink is environmentally preferable over Petroleum-based for several reasons: vegetable oil is a renewable resource; to the degree that vegetable oil displaces petroleum oil, it reduces released contaminates and VOC’s; and depending on the substrate, vegetable oil is easier to remove from paper during the de-inking process, which makes recycling easier and results in less hazardous waste.

Soy-based inks are also manufactured using various vegetable oils mixed with some petroleum oil.  The distinction is that to be labeled “Soy-based”, the ink needs to contain a minimum percentage of soybean oil, as specified by the American Soybean Association (www.soygrowers.com).  For instance, “Soy-based” ink for sheet-fed products must contain at least 20% soybean oil.

Vegetable-based / Petroleum-free inks are the most environmentally preferred.  These inks even further reduce contaminants, VOC’s and hazardous waste in our environment by limiting the amount of petroleum oil in the ink to less than one percent.  One manufacturer of such ink is Toyo.  Their series that is Vegetable-based and Petroleum-free is called “Hy Plus 100”, which is used for the printing of the FORUM magazine.

Do you have any questions about paper, ink or printing processes in the environmental age?  Post a question to get your answer!

Earth Hour's Long-term Impact

This past Saturday's Earth Hour event garnered a lot of press and participation across Chicagoland.  A part of a global campaign publicized by the World Wildlife Fund to help bring awareness to global warming and energy efficiency, Earth Hour encouraged households and businesses across the world to turn off their lights for one hour, 8-9 pm. 

In Chicagoland, Earth Hour reduced energy use by around 7% during the time period.  A report by the Chicago Tribune quoted ComEd as estimating that the hour-long event cut 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.

The real lesson from Earth Hour will hopefully be that each of us, from homeowners to building owners and managers, make a habit of cutting back on our energy use.  As Earth Hour demonstrated, turning out the lights, shutting off the computer, unplugging the powerstrip, and unplugging appliances when not in use can save both our pocketbooks and the planet.  Hopefully Earth Hour caused each of us to think more consciously about our energy use and to implement energy saving strategies into our daily lives.

In fact, I encourage all of us to take an Earth Hour pledge to adopt one enery saving strategy to employ each day. I know I am on a lights-out campaign in my house, making sure that lights are always shut off when not in use.  It's a simple step, but just as Earth Hour proved, if we all make some very simple changes in our daily routines it can net big savings for us and the planet. 

What's your Earth Hour pledge?

Responsible Printing in the Environmental Age

The article "Responsible Printing in the Environmental Age", appearing in the April 2008 issue of  FORUM, explained the movement for organizations to do their part in protecting the environment by using FSC-certified stock for their printed materials.  The wood used for FSC stock is harvested from third party certified, well-managed forests and it flows through a stringent Chain of Custody.

 

Many people ask whether or not printing costs would increase if FSC-certified stock is used.  The answer is: Not necessarily, as you may already be using FSC stock or you may be able to find an FSC stock comparable to what you are currently using. As a reference, you can check out 32 pages of stocks listed at www.fscus.org.  Some of the commonly used coated and uncoated FSC stocks that you may already be familiar with are: Mohawk Options, Cougar, Finch Opaque, Utopia One, Mohawk 50/10, Sterling, HannoArt, Lustro, McCoy, Opus, Productolith, Classic Laid and Starwhite.  There is even a translucent FSC stock – Glama. 

However, your product cannot carry the FSC logo, unless you use an FSC-certified printing company.

April's Guest Bloggers

The FORUM Effect is pleased to welcome April’s guest bloggers, Doug Widener, executive director, U.S. Green Building Council – Chicago Chapter and Carol Forssander of ABS Graphics.

Both of these individuals authored articles for the April issue of FORUM and are going to continue the conversation here. The FORUM Effect is designed to facilitate dialogue and learning. So please, share a thought, ask a question, or start debate.

Thanks for taking a moment to check us out and again, welcome.

Greg Fine, CAE

Executive Editor, FORUM