for the love of trees
This Shabbat, the calendar works out so that it is also Tu b’Shevat, aka the new year for trees. This is a time that is generally marked with ecological awareness. I’ve cared for and written about the environment for about thirty years now (thankfully you don’t have access to those early writings, though they were pretty good for an elementary school student). I’m surprised and dismayed to discover I’ve been mostly silent here about this topic.
I use quite a significant amount of paper each year. How do I reconcile that with caring for the environment?
My favourite notebooks are from Clairefontaine and Rhodia. Why do I love them so very much? They are made from pulp and wood by-products from forests independently certified by PEFC or FSC as sustainably managed.
How?
Clairefontaine manufactures their own paper. This provides them complete control over the entire process. They’ve reduced their water consumption, the paper is chlorine-free, they use natural inks (which I believe they purchase), supply most of the energy (80%) necessary for the manufacturing process, and are committed to reducing waste.
These are important things to me, every day. These issues should be important to you as well. If we don’t take care of what we have today, there will be nothing left for tomorrow.
This ראש השנה לאילנות I decided to help raise awareness about how one company is working to make a difference. Another company doing so is Tom Bihn, with their UPS shipping Carbon Neutral Program.
Do you have a favourite company that is doing so? Please let me know.
Additional reading:
- Ethical Shopping – How much does it matter to you?
- Papeteries Clairefontaine: l’environnement
- How to contact your representatives in Congress also (5calls.org)
- Tom Bihn’s Donation Crane
I’ve received many products from Exaclair USA and Tom Bihn over the years, some may be shown in this blog post. I have purchased even more on my own, the FTC wants you to know. There are no affiliate links in this post.