Greetings tree killers. Oh, you don’t believe you’re still considered a tree killer? You rock your FSC seal and use recycled paper and believe that gives you a pass? Think again.
April 22nd is Earth Day, the Red Wedding of “alternative facts” regarding the use of paper and print. You have been sitting in the stands and booing when our industry gets its proverbial eco-friendly head chopped off, but now it’s time to put on your armor and get in the Game of Trees!
Next Saturday, and leading up to up, the social streams will be ripe with “go green/go paperless” skewed messaging. Some of it will be helpful in the correct context. For example I don’t think a pile of paper by office copiers is a great use of resources. There are ways companies can champion printing responsibly that address efficiency and cost reduction as the goal. We call it Managed Print Services, and some of our industry suppliers offer help here. Support them.
Some of the info shared on Earth Day will just be regurgitated myths and eco-lies. There is currently no math, science or reality in which using a piece of paper is LESS green than using electronic communications. Unfortunately this truth is based on math and science aka BORING, and we don’t have a catchy tagline like “go green/go paperless” to easily communicate our position… or do we?
Starting now and through Earth Day on April 22, 2017 I urge you to “Click. Share. Bust Some Myths” and share #PaperFacts from Two Sides regarding the TRUE environmental story of paper.
Here are 5 handy links for North America to get you started – and you can find information for 12 other countries in the navigation at http://twosidesna.org
Infographics: http://www.twosidesna.org/Two-Sides-Infographics Handy and shareable jpegs and PDF’s with consumer friendly information. The 2017 Earth Infographic IS POSTED for sharing, and there are 3 others also available for download in numerous forms.
Videos: http://www.twosidesna.org/Two-Sides-Videos A super way to SHOW the facts, and people are very friendly to video. Embed them in a quick post, send them to your customers, share one a day next week through your social channels.
Blog Posts: http://www.twosidesna.org/Blog There is a wealth of information here, and all of it is shareable through a click at the bottom of the posts. Easy!
Myths And Facts: http://www.twosidesna.org/Myths-and-Facts This is a bit more advanced in the math/science realm, however it’s a great arsenal of facts to have in a click. These posts specifically combat the myths about paper production and paper use our industry faces everyday, and link to PDF’s of full fact sheets that can be downloaded and shared.
Membership: http://www.twosidesna.org/Membership For as little as $250 USD a year, you can help support research and the mission of Two Sides to end the corporate greenwashing that demonizes the use of paper, and therefore print. To date they have facilitated more than 65 corporations to remove their misleading environmental claims about paper production, and use. $250 is a small investment to support an industry organization that has a positive global impact for all of us.
I don’t have any dragons to unleash, but I do have a very powerful bird friend that will help me tweet facts at those who attack my paper castle this week. I’m asking for your oath to join me… here is how
Monitor #EarthDay / #EarthDay2017 (there may be more as April 22 gets closer). Respond as much as you can with facts about the responsible production and use of paper.
Include #PaperFacts in all shares you send out into the #EarthDay / #EarthDay2017 stream.
Tag @TwoSidesNA (or the country relevant for you) in shares you send out into the #EarthDay / #EarthDay2017 stream to credit the info source and help create more awareness for this organization.
Create a post, share it and tag @PrintMediaCentr. I will re-share and help you create more awareness for your blog/company.
Follow @HowLifeUnfolds, @ChoosePrint, @PaperOptions, and other such entities.
Don’t be surprised if you don’t see a lot of paper companies getting involved on Earth Day. It’s a touchy subject for them, obviously. They usually shy away from engaging in any public debate about sustainability. While the last sentence may have you scratching your head, the paper companies are huge supporters of Two Sides behind the scenes. Most have a plethora of sustainability information on their sites, offer recycled products, and share that information regularly. I’m sure a few of them will contribute FACTS about paper and sustainability on Earth Day, and I will certainly be looking out for that info to pass along.
In the meantime, I am going to sharpen my information sword and prepare for a week on the wall.
Winter has come and gone, Earth Day is here!
Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse at PrintMediaCentr, a Print Buyerologist™, Integrated Marketer, Industry Speaker and Blogger, Cultivator of the Print Production Professionals Group, the #1 Print Group on LinkedIn, and host of #PrintChat, a weekly industry gathering on Twitter every Wednesday at 4PM ET. She has more than 25 years experience working in advertising and marketing, and currently works behind the scenes with printers, suppliers and industry organizations helping them to achieve success with their social media marketing endeavors, and meaningful relationships with customers.
Connect with Deborah: Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Instagram / YouTube / Pinterest / Print Production Professionals Group / deborah@printmediacentr.com
2 Responses
Thanks for sharing this info Deborah. I’ll be sure to spread the word as Earth Day approaches… Jim
I know I am a little late to push for Earth Day this year, but I have shared this post. I may be a little late for the day itself, but its never to late to start helping the planet. Every little helps and all that!