how can we be more eco-friendly?

[Saling Pusa Distro/closed]

I am just throwing this out there, because it personally bothers me. Don't get me wrong, i am one of those that likes zines in print... the ones i can touch and bring with me everywhere. i am not very fond having to read content on the computer--it is just less appealing for me; i dont enjoy it as much as i do when it is in print. BUT looking at the facts and figures below worry me. any ideas how we can enjoy zines and still help the planet?

 

Global use of paper has grown more than six-fold since 1950. 

• One ton of uncoated virgin (non-recycled) printing/office paper uses 24 trees.
• One ton of paper = 400 reams = 200,000 sheets.
   
• So one tree makes only 16.67 reams of copy paper, being just 8,333 sheets of paper.
   
• Making paper uses more water per ton than any other product in the world.
   
• One ton of paper uses 2 barrels of oil, 28,000 litres of water and 4,100kw hours of electricity. Enough energy to power the average home for 5 months.
• One ton of paper requires the use of 98 tons of various resources and produces 2,278 lb of solid waste.
• In most western countries, paper accounts for up to 40 percent of all municipal solid waste.
   
• Pulp and paper is the 5th largest industrial consumer of energy in the world, using as much power to produce a ton of product as the iron and steel industry. 

• One fifth of all wood harvested in the world ends up in paper.

 

Source: The Worldwatch Institute.

[Becky the Evil Flower]

I hate to say this, but we could scan our zines into computers and trade them electronically.

Don't throw things! Ha ha, but that's what came to mind first. I would rather not do that but I would understand if someone decided to do that for environmental purposes.

[Isabel Xochitl]

things i do to save paper:
1. email the companies that send you useless catalogues every month and tell them to cut it out. it usually works.
2. before recycling books or paper, think about if the item would make a good collage material, start a collage box with your salvaged finds, and never buy a clip art book again.
3. dave's idea of going through recycling bins at school/work is great. look for blank paper, collage stuff, and bonus: you find notes with dirty secrets on them!
4. i drew a lot when i was little and my parents saved all of it. the drawings are colorful and on heavy, big paper, so now i cut them up to make envelopes. i feel like sending art i still am a little attached to to a friend is a nice way to say goodbye to it.
5. when i want to mail things to people who live nearby, i drop them off on my bike instead of using the postal service. it saves stamps and one bike trip is probably better for the environment than all the carting around that goes into mailing something, even in the same town.
6. i reuse envelopes by putting stickers over the addresses. duh.
7. for short letters use postcards instead of letters inside envelopes, and use thin postcards.
i have heard of people mailing plastic bottles. maybe we could start mailing our zines rolled up in plastic bottles instead of envelopes, since everybody has plastic bottles they would've thrown away, and they probably don't get worn out as fast as paper so they could be reused over and over. just an idea...?
8. i print my zines on 100% post consumer waste recycled paper. it's important to note the post consumer waste part because if it isn't then it wasn't used before being recycled. that's not even recycling!!