Issue 45: Pulp fiction
Are you willing to pay for a greener BMC?
Bad news for trees. That’s what some people say about the BMC and the vast reams of paperwork we produce and circulate every year. But finally we’re doing something about it. Perhaps you’ve seen the new ‘green tree’ logo on our literature? We’re in process of switching to 100% recycled paper and we’ll be going a step further with plans to use only pulp and paper products sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)* certified suppliers by the year-end.
And we’re well on our way to making the switch. Since December all of our envelopes and membership literature are on recycled paper, ditto with the printer and photocopier paper, we’ve even taken the plunge with the office toilet rolls. Summit magazine has proved the biggest decision and we’ve taken some convincing that reproduction standards would be up to scratch using recycled paper. So we’ve gone for it anyway and hopefully you’ll agree we got it right. Recycled paper is just part of it though. For years we’ve recycled waste paper in the office, used low-energy light bulbs and we’re also trying to keep the heaters turned down.
Gone are the days when ‘going recycled’ meant a grey, grainy finish and double the price. Today there’s no excuse for not making the switch. The cost is relatively modest. We anticipate a 10% increase in print costs. £10-12k per year, or 20p per BMC member.
But will it really make any difference? I suppose it’s a bit like using your vote. In isolation - no - but collectively - yes. Last night the BBC reported the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projection of a 3% increase in global temperatures by 2100; a catastrophic prospect for poorer countries and island communities. According to the IPCC, ‘warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea levels’. The BMC’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint may well be a drop in the ocean, but surely its right that the outdoor community does its bit. We have a vested interest after all - witness the effects of warmer winters in the Alps for starters.
It’s an interesting irony but elsewhere in ‘planet BMC’ our access and conservation team are producing a publication on woodland management and tree clearance at crags. It would be great to think that we could use pulp from trees felled at Tremadog to produce paper for the office. No doubt there’ll be a myriad of reasons why this won’t be possible but it’s certainly worth a thought.
But in the meantime we’ll continue to do out bit. And if you're in a position of influence, we’d ask you to consider how you could contribute. In the words of one of our modern day super-brands - every little helps.
Dave Turnbull, CEO
*FSC sets international standards for forest management. Since 1995, it has certified 84+ million hectares in 82 countries and 1000s of products are now made from FSC certified wood.
Bad news for trees. That’s what some people say about the BMC and the vast reams of paperwork we produce and circulate every year. But finally we’re doing something about it. Perhaps you’ve seen the new ‘green tree’ logo on our literature? We’re in process of switching to 100% recycled paper and we’ll be going a step further with plans to use only pulp and paper products sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)* certified suppliers by the year-end.
And we’re well on our way to making the switch. Since December all of our envelopes and membership literature are on recycled paper, ditto with the printer and photocopier paper, we’ve even taken the plunge with the office toilet rolls. Summit magazine has proved the biggest decision and we’ve taken some convincing that reproduction standards would be up to scratch using recycled paper. So we’ve gone for it anyway and hopefully you’ll agree we got it right. Recycled paper is just part of it though. For years we’ve recycled waste paper in the office, used low-energy light bulbs and we’re also trying to keep the heaters turned down.
Gone are the days when ‘going recycled’ meant a grey, grainy finish and double the price. Today there’s no excuse for not making the switch. The cost is relatively modest. We anticipate a 10% increase in print costs. £10-12k per year, or 20p per BMC member.
But will it really make any difference? I suppose it’s a bit like using your vote. In isolation - no - but collectively - yes. Last night the BBC reported the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projection of a 3% increase in global temperatures by 2100; a catastrophic prospect for poorer countries and island communities. According to the IPCC, ‘warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea levels’. The BMC’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint may well be a drop in the ocean, but surely its right that the outdoor community does its bit. We have a vested interest after all - witness the effects of warmer winters in the Alps for starters.
It’s an interesting irony but elsewhere in ‘planet BMC’ our access and conservation team are producing a publication on woodland management and tree clearance at crags. It would be great to think that we could use pulp from trees felled at Tremadog to produce paper for the office. No doubt there’ll be a myriad of reasons why this won’t be possible but it’s certainly worth a thought.
But in the meantime we’ll continue to do out bit. And if you're in a position of influence, we’d ask you to consider how you could contribute. In the words of one of our modern day super-brands - every little helps.
Dave Turnbull, CEO
*FSC sets international standards for forest management. Since 1995, it has certified 84+ million hectares in 82 countries and 1000s of products are now made from FSC certified wood.
2 Comments:
Personally, I have no problem paying the extra 20p! Although I imagine that summit will eventually go electronic and maybe even begin to be produced as a podcast as the ipod generation gathers pace. Whilst being green in one sense, i.e. less trees felled, it does mean further natural resources 'sourced' for the production of electronic goods. Where do these come from and what are the proceses involved, e.g. deforestation, relocation of communities, destruction of habitats etc.
Its not just about the paper though. What about the inks and solvents used to produce it, how many miles has the paper travelled?
Should summit also consider that environmental footprint of the sponsors, supporters and advertisers as well as the printers? And rather than feature far flung places, should there be features on closer to home venues accessed using public transport?
Personally, I think everything by now should use recycled paper and that all wood-origin products should be only from FSC certified sources. I don't usually care at all about the reduction in quality of paper, but in the case of a magazine like 'Summit' where there are gorgeous mountain pics, obviously you can't go for very low-grade recycled paper, i.e. non-glossy stuff. I do normally prefer reading things on non-glossy paper though as I find it nearly impossible to read glossy paper under any form of electric light as I just see the light bouncing off it and not the print.
I certainly don't mind putting my money where my mouth is and paying extra for recycled/FSC.
On the question of whether 'Summit' magazine should be turned into an e-newsletter and only produced for the online community I would say a definite 'NO' to that. Apart from the obvious fact that not everyone is online even in this day and age, my main objection is that of eye-damage. Reading from today's screens with their white backgrounds, means that a bright light is constantly being directly shone at your retina causing irreparable damage. I am a case in point here and should probably volunteer for some kind of medical study as for over 20 years now I have worked in computing and until the last few years not suffered any kind of deterioration of eyesight. This was because we used what are now called 'green-screens' (mainframe screens) which have a black background with green writing. This was totally safe. In the last few years, with the advent of white-background e-mail and windows type applications such as Word, my retinas have been extensively damaged and my eyesight is failing very rapidly indeed.
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