Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

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Print Green – Help Conserve the Environment

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Conservation of the environment has always been an important concern for all of us. There has always been a continued effort in checking the processes that produce harmful wastes polluting the environment. One such process that needs concern in this regard is printing. In the digital age, printed material still has a lot of importance. Printed products such as booklets, brochures, business cards, notepads, postcards, calendars, stationery products, posters etc are always high on demand and thus are produced extensively.

It is a matter of concern that printing houses not only produce harmful wastes but also are one of the major users of natural resources. Thus the need is to print green. Green printing refers to the process of printing that conserves the environment. Most printing houses produce volatile organic compounds that if accidentally released into the environment not only add to air pollution but also damage soil and groundwater. Green printing takes care of this and implements measures to reduce the production of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere.

Green printing also regulates the use of natural resources. The process of printing relies heavily on natural resources such as trees and fossil fuels. Green printers that are certified by an authoritative agency check the amount of energy usage and keep it to the minimum while carrying on a particular printing process. The jobs are carefully planned to render optimum print quality at minimum use of natural resources. Papers required for printing is sourced only from companies certified by an authoritative certifying agency. This ensures that the paper comes from forests that are in compliance with proper environmental standards. Besides, electricity is used to the minimum and the supplies including paper are recycled and reused to curb down the consumption of natural resources giving rise to environment friendly printing.

The need of printed products is constantly on rise among the consumers. While eco-friendly printing green might cost a bit more than traditional printing, whatever extra you pay is your personal effort towards environment conservation.

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Print Green ? Help Conserve the Environment

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Conservation of the environment has always been an important concern for all of us. There has always been a continued effort in checking the processes that produce harmful wastes polluting the environment. One such process that needs concern in this regard is printing. In the digital age, printed material still has a lot of importance. Printed products such as booklets, brochures, business cards, notepads, postcards, calendars, stationery products, posters etc are always high on demand and thus are produced extensively.

It is a matter of concern that printing houses not only produce harmful wastes but also are one of the major users of natural resources. Thus the need is to print green. Green printing refers to the process of printing that conserves the environment. Most printing houses produce volatile organic compounds that if accidentally released into the environment not only add to air pollution but also damage soil and groundwater. Green printing takes care of this and implements measures to reduce the production of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere.

Green printing also regulates the use of natural resources. The process of printing relies heavily on natural resources such as trees and fossil fuels. Green printers that are certified by an authoritative agency check the amount of energy usage and keep it to the minimum while carrying on a particular printing process. The jobs are carefully planned to render optimum print quality at minimum use of natural resources. Papers required for printing is sourced only from companies certified by an authoritative certifying agency. This ensures that the paper comes from forests that are in compliance with proper environmental standards. Besides, electricity is used to the minimum and the supplies including paper are recycled and reused to curb down the consumption of natural resources giving rise to environment friendly printing.

The need of printed products is constantly on rise among the consumers. While eco-friendly printing green might cost a bit more than traditional printing, whatever extra you pay is your personal effort towards environment conservation.

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Reusable, Eco-friendly Bags ? Alternative to a Safer Environment

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Plastic, paper and cotton bags are probably the easiest and cheapest options when it comes to containing and transporting foods, powders, ice, chemicals and even wastes. Billions of single-use plastic bags are distributed free of cost every day. These free single-use bags might seem to be of great advantage apparently, but as the old adage goes, nothing in this world comes for free. We pay heavily for using each of these bags with our environment and future.

If we take into account the “cradle to grave” multiple impacts and the effects of each phase of these bags’ life we will be able to illustrate the actual costs paid by our environment and society for the fleeting convenience of unlimited, free, single-use plastic bags.

Firstly, the production of these plastic bags requires a large amount of petroleum and natural gas. These production materials are non-renewable resources and there’s always a risk that unnecessary use of these resources might lead to scarcity. Moreover, the process to acquire these resources immensely contributes to the destruction of the fragile habitats and ecosystems around the world. The production of plastic bags also requires a lot of toxic substances to be used. These toxic substances in turn produce pollution and harm the environment. Energy consumption required for the production of these bags is also huge. This contributes effectively towards global warming.

These bags might be distributed for free to the consumers but definitely does not come free to the retailers. The U.S. retailers alone incur an annual cost of approximately four billion U.S. dollars. When these bags are distributed, the costs are generally passed on to the consumers in the form of higher prices for the goods that they purchase. So, though the concept of these bags might seem to be free, in fact they also have some financial issues involved which ultimately are borne by the end-users.

The disposal and littering of these bags also threatens the environment and the future of mankind and all living forms. These plastic bags are often disposed off into water or littered on land. Thousands of marine lives are put into danger due to this. Sea turtles, whales and other such marine mammals often mistakes these plastics for food and end up dead. When swallowed these plastics choke them or block their intestine resulting in a painful death. Same is the fate of several cows, goats and other such lad animals that often end up eating pieces of plastic while foraging for food. Moreover, it takes almost thousands of years for these pieces of plastic to completely degrade on land. They break down into tiny bits and contaminate soil and water.

So we see that in-spite of the plastic beings ‘free’ of cost, there’s actually a major cost that needs to be paid indirectly and it threatens the mere existence of all living forms on the face of the earth. Mass movements are taking place all over the world in order to reduce the consumption of these plastic and paper bags due to their ill-effects on the environment. Luckily, though, we have seen the introduction of reusable, eco-friendly and environment safe bags on the market to substitute them. These bags are generally made of Polypropylene. They are simple to produce, strong and can be made of different weight or thickness depending on the intended use. Bags made of this durable material are water repellent and avoids bacteria and odor. They are not affected by chemicals or solvents and comply with FDA regulations.

The reusable, eco-friendly bags proves to be a perfect alternative to the toxic plastic or paper bags and should be adopted for a better, healthier and safer environment.

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