Filed under: printing green | Tags: cary printing, clean-up, environmentally friendly, get involved, green world, preservation, volunteer
You may be wondering, what can I do to be green in my community, my home or my work? Well today’s green tip is how to get involved in your community.
Did you know that there are probably groups that go out every weekend and pick up public parks, trails and greenways? You can get involved by volunteering to help clean-up the environment. The paths don’t clean themselves. You would be surprised how much trash is discarded in parks, on roads and on paths. Do your part in helping to clean-up. You don’t have to do it alone either! Bring friends or family or coworkers. It can actually be a lot of fun! Give it a try and do your part in helping us have a greener world.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cary printing, environmentally friendly, green printing, PEFC Certified, pefc printer, recycled
Recycled paper has taken on new meaning and vast improvements during the past couple of years. The thought of recycled paper at one time brought forth images of brown paper bags from the local grocery store. Today’s recycled paper has an entirely different image. As the demand for recycled content papers has increased, paper companies have developed higher quality and a broader selection of recycled papers. For example, the three most common paper finishes, gloss, matte, and uncoated papers all are available with varying amounts of recycled content ranging from 10% to 100% post consumer waste.
Recycled paper is made by taking consumer paper products and “cooking” them down to a cellulose, or plant pulp mixture which is then pressed through screens to remove contaminants. The next step is to clean, de-ink and bleach the pulp. Most mills no longer use chlorine to bleach the pulp but rather use oxygen or hydrogen peroxide which is safer for the environment. Once the pulp has been processed, it is ready to be made into paper once again. The pulp is either mixed with virgin fiber (to give it more strength) or it is used alone to make new paper. The mixture is sprayed on a continuous moving screen where the water drains from the pulp allowing it to form into the beginning of paper. From here the paper is run through a series of rollers which squeeze the remaining moisture from the paper. The last series of rollers is heated, which dries the paper as it is made into large rolls.
If you are a print-buyer seeking “greener” methods of producing environmentally-friendly and sustainable projects, paper is the first place we can begin to help. According to the Environmental Paper Network, 41.1% of all printing papers are recovered and made into recycled paper. This percentage is likely to increase as will the availability of more recycled variety.
