Canadian Firm Prints Harry Potter on Green Pages (Laugh-till-you-die Alert)

Environment News Service (ENS) ^ | June 20, 2003 | Some Green Moron

[nwrep]

Canadian Firm Prints Harry Potter on Green Pages

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 19, 2003 (ENS) - Fans of the Harry Potter (news - web sites) books probably do not associate the little wizard with rainforests or recycling, but that will change for at least 935,000 readers of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." The Canadian edition of the eagerly anticipated book--all 935,000 copies--has been printed by Canadian publisher Raincoast Books on 100 percent recycled, endangered forest free paper, a move that many believe represents a landmark event for environmentally friendly publishing.

•	Sierra Club of Canada - British Columbia Chapter
•	Greenpeace: Action to Protect Ancient Forests
•	OneWorld on Forests

Supported by
Cable & Wireless

"By printing the latest Harry Potter book on 100 percent recycled paper, Raincoast has set the stage for a complete transformation of the publishing industry," said Lafcadio Cortesi, director of the Boreal Campaign at ForestEthics. "Readers everywhere appreciate that the magic is not just what is written on the pages, it is the very pages themselves."

And the author of the largest selling fiction book in history has penned her own heartfelt endorsement of Raincoast's decision to publish Potter's latest adventure on ancient forest friendly paper.

"The forest at Hogwarts is home to magical creatures like unicorns and centaurs," Rowling writes in an endorsement that appears prominently in the Canadian edition.

"Because the Canadian editions are printed on Ancient-Forest Friendly paper, the Harry Potter books are helping to save magnificent forests in the muggle world, forests that are home of magical animals such as Orangutans, Wolves and Bears," Rowling wrote. "It is a good idea to respect ancient trees, especially if they have a temper like the Whomping Willow."

According to research done by Markets Initiative--a coalition project of three environmental organizations, Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Greenpeace Canada and the British Columbia Chapter of Sierra Club (news - web sites) of Canada--the 935,000 books printed by Raincoast Books will save almost 30,000 trees in forests such as the Boreal forest of Canada, as well as in Canada's rainforests and throughout the Rockies region.

In addition, it will conserve 20,248 BTUs of electricity--195 years of electricity to power the average American home--and 2,679,548 pounds of greenhouse gases, which equals 2.4 million miles traveled by car with average fuel efficiency.

The paper used in the books printed by Raincoast was produced by San Francisco-based New Leaf Paper.

The greening of Potter is part of a broader effort by publishers and writers in Canada and the U.S., led by Markets Initiative, to increase the use of environmentally friendly papers in their books.

Thus far, 35 Canadian and 20 U.S. publishers have made formal commitments to use recycled and other environmentally preferable papers, and millions of forest-friendly books have been printed on such paper in Canada during the past 18 months.

"We look forward to seeing publishers in other countries follow the lead of their Canadian colleagues in helping to safeguard biodiversity and the world's remaining ancient forests," said Markets Initiative's Campaigns Director Nicole Rycroft.

In addition, Green Press Initiative is pressuring U.S. publishers, including the U.S. publisher of the Potter books, Scholastic, to secure endangered-forest free commitments.

According to Green Press, if Scholastic made an endangered-forest free commitment and switched to 100 percent recycled paper for the next Potter book, and printed the same quantity, it would conserve an area of trees some 13 times the size of New York's Central Park and some 24 million pounds of greenhouse gases--equal to the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by a car with average fuel efficiency traveling 21.81 million miles.

According to American Forest and Paper Association figures, less than five percent of the paper used by the printing and writing paper sector contains recycled fibers--in the year 2000 the association says one million tons of paper were used by U.S. book publishers.

The groups promoting the eco-friendly Potter print suggest that fans who live outside of Canada go online to purchase the Canadian edition.

[KarlInOhio]

I saw that picture and expected an article about hemp paper with the required catfight between the pro- and anti-WoSD crowds. Recycling stories are so 20th century.

[KarlInOhio]

They also use really cheap ink that gets all over hands and white sheets...

Insert Senator Byrd joke here.

[freedom9]

Sounds great.

[autoresponder]

Right.

Senator who lit up the world!

People keep wondering why he was so pro-Islamic, against the Iraq War; check out the married surname of one of his kids.

Never saw that mentioned on TV, talk radio, newsprint; found it by accident on one of Byrd's websites.

All in the family.

[autoresponder]

Incidentally, the Forestry Service will GIVE YOU free young tree seedlins to plant, sometimes depending on the acreage you tell them you own.

Don't wait for arbor day.

Make cuttings from trimmed trees.

Moss-Off tree branches to get a bigger started young tree to plant; simply cut two rings in the tree or plant bark about 2" apart, peel off the bark in between the rings. Dust some plant hormone on the raw area if you have it. Wrap with big clump wet spagnum moss. Wrap the moss with Saran Wrap, use twist ties at each end to seal.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Shortly Y'all will have five nice small started trees to plant; I plant them somewhat under the new healthy root system.

Cherry trees in a park are great resource for cuttings and mossing-off trees.

Never see the Enviro-Nutzies tell this simple stuff on TV or their websites.

Hard to do?

Learned as a 6 year old; my parents ran a landscaping business as well as real estate.

I must have harvested thousands of coconuts to plant and Royal Poinsiana seed to plant on my own.

My mother stuck a "PLANTS & TRRES FOR SALE" sign out front.

Bought a lot of groceries.

South Florida is filled with trees I planted as a kid.

It ain't rocket science.

Embarrass the Enviro-Nutzies.

Plant stuff while they sit up in a tree.

It's all about the money for them.

[kms61]

Not exactly. Some trees are cut for pulp specifically.

[FreedomCalls]

This is from The Onion, right?

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I agree with you. I'm all for recycled paper. Nothing wrong with it.

[Dimensio]

But...but aren't we conservatives supposed to endorse wasteful methods whenever and wherever possible? I thought that we wanted to trash the earth on principle, because Jesus is coming back or something. That's what the liberals say, and they wouldn't lie just to make us look bad, would they?

[I_Love_My_Husband]

There are Green Conservatives. Have you heard of them?

http://www.repamerica.org/

[CyberAnt]

Is it just me ... or is the whole world running headlong over the cliff ...??? LOL

[Lion Den Dan]

Trees get old, die and fall to the ground. Old trees are home to disease and prevent new growth. Standing timber processes CO2 while decaying wood passes other gas. Trees themselves seem to pass some polutants as seen in the Smokey Mountains. Proper logging is a healthy conservancy practice since trees are a renewable resource.

[LionsDaughter]

But I don't want my Harry Potter books to be green.

[Publius6961]

Well, it's appropriate.
For some books it makes sense to print them on paper that will disintegrate and take the trip to oblivion sooner rather than later.

Why wasn't Living Lies... er History printed on green paper?

[Ditter]

I have been in old growth forest on the west coast of the US & Canada & they are magical places. I hope some are saved, but they are sterile. Animals do not live there because there is nothing for them to eat. New trees do not sprout there because the sun does not reach the ground. There is no grass & small bushes because of lack of sun. There is only moss growing on the ground & on rocks. When an old tree dies, a little sun gets in & new seedlings will sprout along the rotting trunk, its called a nurse tree. We don't need too many old growth forest.

[Publius6961]

will save almost 30,000 trees in forests such as the Boreal forest of Canada, as well as in Canada's rainforests and throughout the Rockies region.
...
In addition, it will conserve 20,248 BTUs of electricity--195 years of electricity to power the average American home--and 2,679,548 pounds of greenhouse gases, which equals 2.4 million miles traveled by car with average fuel efficiency.

Why do I have the nagging feeling that these numbers were pulled out of some green butt?
I suspect the numbers are either manufactured outright, or neglects the human and other energy that was necessary to gather, sort, transport reprocess and redistribute this green wonder stuff.

I am looking forward to hearing from people who actually know and track these costs to provide the real picture.

[Vote 4 Nixon]

And the band played on....

[Publius6961]

I don't disagree with the value of recycling or re-using where it is economical. I also love old forests and don't want them clear cut. However, I don't lose sleep over the use of young pines for paper production. It's just another crop.

Quit injecting reason into the discussion, dammit.
And raising trees and harvesting them for a specific purpose is so... 20th century.

Let's stay on subject: clear cutting is horrible, old growth forests are disappearing forever, we can see spotted owls only in museums now and Americans are too innovative and inventive and fat and comfortable.

Remember all of society needs to feel that they contribute something, and for the intellectually challenged and for those whose flights of imagination is limited to potions and magic, feeling valuable is very important.
Even if that value is limited to preventing human creativity, industry and the improvement of the human condition, and creative ways to co-exist with nature that still involves doing something, as opposed to preventing someone else from doing anything.

Destroying and obstructing is a lot easier than creating, and a lot more visible.

[Quilla]

I used to work at a sawmill. Each winter, for about two months, we'd shut down. A handful of employees were retained to set out pines on land owned by my employer. We could easily plant 20,000 trees per day - two tractors, four folks. In 10-15 years, these pines were thinned and the harvest was sold as pulpwood. In another 10-15 years, the remainer could be clear cut, run through the sawmill, and then the process started over.

I agree, it is just another crop.

[Jhoffa_]

"It is a good idea to respect ancient trees, especially if they have a temper like the Whomping Willow."

Screw the "Whomping willow"

Tell him I killed his cousin and carved him into a pencil holder... and he's next.