Save a Forest: Print Your Emails

It's okay to use paper. Trees are renewable, recyclable and sustainable.



By CHUCK LEAVELL
AND CARLTON OWEN

Well-intentioned email taglines inspired by sincere desire to help the planet have become ubiquitous in recent times: "Please don't print this email," "Save trees: Print only when necessary," or "Please consider the environment before printing this email."

However, the World Wildlife Fund has taken this to the extreme with a new nonprintable electronic document. Patterned after the highly successful PDF (Portable Document Format) that has revolutionized electronic document sharing and storage, the WWF format takes the decision away from you.

This tact is sure to frustrate and increase inefficiency, leaving some saying, "Wait a minute, I really needed to print that document!" What many folks don't realize is that it also may indirectly hasten the conversion of forests to other uses like strip malls, parking lots and housing developments—because the nation's forest landowners can't keep growing trees without markets for this natural, organic and renewable product.

Chuck's email tagline reads: "Notice: It's OK to print this email. Paper is a biodegradable, renewable, sustainable product made from trees. Growing and harvesting trees provides jobs for millions of Americans. Working forests are good for the environment and provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat and carbon storage. Thanks to improved forest management, we have more trees in America today than we had 100 years ago."

Now, understand that we don't advocate wanton waste of paper or any other material, but avoiding the print option does absolutely nothing to save the planet or forests. More forests are dying of insect infestation and disease or being paved over across this country right now than could be converted to an email print-out in a thousand years.

Paper is good. Around 105 A.D., man discovered that paper traveled and transcribed better than stone; it became the renewable medium of choice. Frankly, the human eye can only stare at a computer screen for so long.

We appreciate and applaud people who are sensitive to environmental issues. We both love forests and are avid environmentalists. But we are going to continue to print out those necessary emails without guilt.

Honest, it's okay to print. Trees are renewable, recyclable and sustainable.

Mr. Leavell is a musician, tree farmer, environmentalist and author. Mr. Owen is a forester, wildlife biologist and CEO of U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.
Source WSJ

QR Codes > Enhancing your mobile marketing

Marketing today is all about looking at trends and being ahead of the curve. One of the newest trends that's growing fast is QR Barcodes. Creating interactivity within the print medium extends the shelf life as well as the value of print by offering readers layers of experience beyond the printed page.

QR codes are two dimensional bar codes and full of possibilities for marketing solutions. They can contain pure text, links to websites, contact information, coupons, phone numbers, etc.

Local charities can display QR codes on banners to view websites and make donations, in magazines and newsletters to view video and additional information about the editorial content, on advertisements to download coupons, on flyers, posters, and businesses cards to provide more in depth content and contact information, the opportunities are endless.

Incorporating creative mobile marketing within your print campaign provides an instant and meaningful bridge to interactivity.

Have you started incorporating QR codes in your print projects? Let us know how they are working for you.

52 Weeks 52 Works 2011 Now Available

The 9th edition of 52 Weeks 52 Works 2011 is now available. To obtain a copy please fill out the Contact Form. To view this calendar and previous year's calendars, or to access a submission form for the 2012 calendar please visit the new 52 Works 52 Weeks page on our website.

52 Weeks 52 Works is a weekly desk planner featuring artwork from Northeast Ohio artists. The collection represented ranges from sculpture to painting, photography to ceramics (professional, student and amateur artwork showcased). The introductory pages act as a “corporate capabilities brochure” highlighting AGC’s various marketing and print related services.

This calendar seeks to demonstrate the power of expressing ideas effectively through print and how innovative, forward-thinking individuals and groups can draw on each other’s expertise to make a bigger difference together.

AGC believes in the talent of our region and the impact “buying local” can have on the vitality of our economy. The 9th publication of 52 Weeks 52 Works seeks to showcase two of our local assets: Northeast Ohio’s dynamic creative community and the myriad of marketing and print related services AGC provides to over 150 local businesses, non profit organizations and educational institutions.

Through our unique efforts, AGC has stayed committed to the renewable print medium and its potential to make a difference in people’s lives while demonstrating how environmental issues can be proactively addressed.

To learn more about production, distribution or personalizing this calendar for your business please contact Candice Champion or call 216-661-2550.

I Am a Printer

Thought provoking poem regarding the history and power of the printed page:

I Am a Printer
By Frank Romano

I have been around for 560 years
I invented the Renaissance and caused the Reformation
I have recorded war and peace

My pamphlets and documents created America
I take ideas and information and make them tangible
I print lofty Bibles and lowly forms

I am a printer

I help you promote and inform and entertain
My catalogs and direct mail are a spur to action
Like calling, clicking, or visiting
I communicate your brand and facilitate your marketing

I am a printer

I preserve and protect your most precious memories
My greeting cards say what you feel
My photo books are your families' legacies
Freedom of the press began with me
I am still the reasoned and reliable history of our times

I am a printer

I put ink on paper and plastic and other materials
I produce packages and publications and products
My business is an extension of your business
Print and paper will transcend the digital age
Because print gets attention

Print is not a momentary image on a screen
You feel print in your hand even fleetingly
And that is its power: it moves you without moving

I am a printer

My industry and I care about the environment
I deal with responsible paper and ink suppliers
I recycle and conserve and reduce waste
I am your partner in progress

I am your printer

-Frank Romano

© 2010 Frank Romano. All rights reserved. Your comments are encouraged. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues. However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.

52 Weeks 52 Works - Now accepting 2011 Submissions

52 Weeks 52 Works is AGC's annual desk calendar showcasing 52 different works of art corresponding to the 52 calendar weeks. The calendar has served as a stage for the creative community of Northeast Ohio for the past 8 years. The calendar seeks to demonstrate the power of expressing ideas effectively through print and the myriad of collaborative opportunities available with Northeast Ohio's creative community. Previous collections have ranged from sculpture to painting, photography to ceramics.



Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Submission:

When is the submission deadline?
The deadline for submission is October 1, 2010.

Is there a fee to participate?
There are no exchange of monies – we don’t pay you and you don’t pay us.

How often will my artwork be used?
If selected, your artwork will appear in the 2011 Calendar. We do not use the your artwork for any other promotional purposes (aside from the calendar).

Will you return my submitted materials?
Any hard copy items supplied (slides, prints, or original artwork) will be returned to you when the calendar is complete. Any digital submission or CDs will be destroyed after publication.

Will I receive a copy of the calendar?
Each participating artist will receive 2 copies of the calendar. These calendars will be shipped via UPS to the address you supply on your submission form.


What is the preferred method of submission?
Digital submissions of at least 300 dpi at 5 x 7 inches burned to a CD and mailed to us along with your completed submission form or uploaded to our FTP site is the preferred format for submission. Our FTP site can be accessed via our Website. Please enter your information in the white box at the right. In the Subject Box please enter 52 Weeks, in the Message Box please enter your full name and the title of your piece.

May I submit more than one image?
You are welcome to submit multiple images, but we do ask that each image is accompanied by it’s own submission form.

Can I purchase additional copies of the calendar?
Upon completion 2500 calendars will be distributed to local Companies and Non Profit Organizations throughout Northeast Ohio. Every artist who submits will receive 1 calendar and every selected artist will receive 2 calendars. You may contact AGC in January to inquire if additional calendars will be available.

For more information please contact Candice Champion at CandiceChampion@agcinc.org.

Coffee roaster offers Custom Blends for Non Profit's Fundraising

"In most fundraising schemes, the group raising the money buys something to sell at a profit—wrapping paper, for example, or chocolate bars. California-based Newhall Coffee, however, now offers a program that lets groups sell custom, branded java blends on an ongoing basis and receive quarterly donations in return.

Launched last month, Newhall Coffee for a Cause allows qualified nonprofits to sell the blends of their choice from the microroaster and receive a significant percentage of the proceeds from every purchase in return. Nonprofits begin by signing up with Newhall; if it approves their request, it then sends login information. From there, they can use Newhall's easy-to-use marketing platform to launch a custom web page, complete with a unique web address. Newhall has customizable fliers, brochures, postcards and other marketing materials to help promote sales of its custom-branded and -blended coffees. Each time someone buys coffee from the nonprofit, the order is processed on its site and then filled and shipped directly by Newhall, which contributes between USD 3 and USD 6 per bag as a donation on a quarterly basis.

Besides all the many benefits for the nonprofits involved, of course, there's no denying the generosity benefits that accrue to Newhall itself, not to mention all those increased sales. It's similar in some ways to a “buy one, donate one” scheme, but adjusted to make room for the nonprofits involved. One to emulate in your own, generosity-minded brand...?"

Website: www.newhallcoffeeforacause.com
Contact: mitch@newhallcoffee.com