Environmental Policy for Garden Making

As gardeners, we naturally think about the environmental impact of our activities. As magazine publishers, we are committed to making decisions that reflect responsible environmental practices.

Of course, we use paper for the printing of our magazine and our marketing materials. And we hire the services of printers to print the magazine and those marketing pieces.

We are committed to using paper with as high a recycled content as possible in order to help protect ancient and endangered forests and their ecosystems while also supporting recycling infrastructures that maximize the life cycle of paper. Even though this is currently costing us about 5% more, we think it is important to do this.

There actually can be a higher cost to select paper with recycled content. It may seem counter-intuitive, but there simply is limited supply of paper that makes use of recycled paper, especially post-consumer recycled content. The expectation is that the supply will increase over time, but first the demand must increase. And so we do our small part by demanding recycled paper.

If you're reading this Environmental Policy, then perhaps you agree that it's the right decision to use paper with recycled content where possible. No business enjoys adding to its costs, of course, but support from our readers and advertisers makes it possible for us to make the environmentally responsible choices.

For our subscription marketing materials such as postage-paid order cards and envelopes, we've found affordable sources for paper that uses 100% recycled content (as indicated by the symbol shown above left on our marketing envelopes). You will see the FSC symbol on many, but not all, of our pieces.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international certification and labeling system that guarantees that the forest products come from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources. Under FSC certification, forests are certified against a set of strict environmental and social standards, and fibre from certified forests is tracked all the way to the consumer through the chain of custody certification system. The end result is products in the marketplace carrying the FSC 'check-tree' logo. FSC certification is a voluntary and market-based mechanism for ensuring that our forests are healthy. Consumer demand for FSC-certified products encourages forest managers and owners to become FSC-certified. Independent third-party auditors conduct all FSC certification audits.

When it comes to printing our magazine, we obtained quotations from a number of printers, but our short list was based on the printers that demonstrate responsible environmental practices.

We're pleased to have made the decision to use Dollco Printing, based in Ottawa, to print Garden Making's first issue. We are using FSC paper with 30% recycled content.

Dollco's Ecologo certification (left) in 2007 demonstrates that Dollco uses operational methods that improve efficiency, reduce hazardous by-products and promote the use of recyclable and reusable products and materials. EcoLogo certification requires a full audit of a company's environmental practices, from the recycling of waste papers, to chemical products used in production and the HVAC emissions utilized in the manufacturing facility. All operational activities are directed towards lessening the impact on the environment.

We welcome any questions or comments. Email updates@gardenmaking.com

Revised January 19, 2010