Sustainability and Two Views of Paper

Here are two views on our use of paper:

1) As many times as we see a note on our emails that reads “Please consider the environment before printing this email,” we print more — and recycle less — than we should.  But as archaic a method for relaying information as it is, paper isn’t going away anytime soon.

Yet, as articulated in this masterful video, “The Story of Stuff,” we need to get a grip on unnecessary consumption.  I’ve often written that I only wish I had the power to get everyone in the world to spend the 20 minutes required to take in this message by one of the world’s greatest humanitarians and environmentalists, Annie Leonard.

2) Since, in reality, it will take a while to curb unnecessary consumption, it’s good that Canefields USA is here, offering paper made from sugar cane waste (“bagasse”) rather than wood, with energy that comes exclusively from wind turbines.  I’m proud that Jeff Allen, Canefields’ CEO, represents me as the company’s chief marketing officer.

I appreciate your confidence, and I promise that any good I’ve done there to this date is but a downpayment on what I’ll accomplish in the future.