Neenah Paper Presents: Three Tips and Fun Facts About Recycled Paper

Posted on 30. Sep, 2009 by Neenah Paper in Design & Culture

Guest post by Meredith Grant of Neenah Paper

Did you know that manufacturing products from recycled materials requires substantially less energy and fewer natural resources than manufacturing from virgin materials? You may think that a lot of paper gets recycled but Americans still throw away enough office paper each year to build a 12-foot-highy wall of paper from New York to Seattle!

You are in a position to make a difference. Start by conserving. The average American uses more than 748 pounds of paper each year! Here are some ways you can save paper:

1. Properly recycle white office paper. White office papers are the cream of the crop when it comes to recycling. Don’t let those fine fibers go to waste! Become familiar with your local recycling guidelines as they vary from city to city. Contact your public works department or go to Earth911.com and search “white office paper” to find the recycling center nearest you.
2. Push print only when you need to. GREENPRINT software for your laser printer prevents wasted web pages from printing. Visit http://www.printgreen.com
3. Always duplex-print both sides of the sheet. When copying book pages reduce the image to print a spread on a single page — duplex, and be 300% more efficient!

Want to make an impression with friends and colleagues? Start with these tidbits of trivia:
1. In response to the first Earth Day in April of 1970, the Container Corporation of America sponsored a contest to raise awareness of environmental issues. The winning entry was the three-chasing-arrows recycling symbol, also known as the Mobius loop, designed by Gary Anderson, a 23-year-old college student at the University of Southern California. Today, this icon is one of the most recognized logos on the planet!
2. Recycling one ton of paper saves over 8,000 lbs of wood, the equivalent of about 26 trees which supply enough oxygen for 13 people annually!
3. Just one person recycling their newspaper, magazines, plastic, glass and metal for one year is enough to save 471 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere.

Reduce, reuse and recycle. Spread the word!

Photo courtesy of: wowcarn via Flickr ; Neenah Paper

Tags: GreenPrint, Neenah Paper, Recycled Paper

5 Responses to “Neenah Paper Presents: Three Tips and Fun Facts About Recycled Paper”

Brady

01. Oct, 2009

Reusing, recycling, and reducing when it comes to paper is a huge step for our society. It’s great that there are companies that hold integrity in their business and with their business relationships when its comes to sustainability, as this will produce long term customer trust and satisfaction.
Mary

01. Oct, 2009

Ah recycling! I can just imagine the fresher air already… I think my recycling and composting has outweighed my waste in the past two months. Now that’s a good feeling.
Johanna Björk

04. Oct, 2009

I had a printer tell me this week that virgin fiber paper was definitely the best environmental choice because it “has a higher recyclability than recycled paper.” I know better, but others may not. It’s so important that designers and consumers are properly educated about all this!
Gaia

05. Oct, 2009

@ Johanna Björk: I agree with you about the need for education. What that printer told you absolutely infuriates me!!! I’m glad that you know better, and I’m sure half the people who read this blog know better, but there are still plenty of people in the world who have a long way to go in terms of knowledge of best sustainable practices, and that printer just isn’t helping.
Helen Driscoll

08. Oct, 2009

And use 100% post consumer recycled paper whenever you can. Not enough recycled paper is used or made. (Neenah is trying hard.) Love the new sugarcane and postconsumer paper by Neenah. Hope you make a 105 lbs cardstock soon!