The Green Press Initiative is one of the leading organizations working connecting the publishing industry to the environment. We were lucky enough to get a few words in with the head of the organization, Tyson Miller.

You are the director of the Green Press Initiative. How did you become involved in the field of green publishing?

I founded Green Press Initiative in 2001 after working for six years to increase the use of recycled paper in corporations in many different sectors. This was a natural evolution after working in the environmental field for a decade. I must say that publishing was new to me and it has been a gratifying experience.

How would you describe the purpose of the Green Press Initiative to someone who knew nothing about it?

The purpose of the Green Press Initiative is to catalyze market shifts which lead to reduced impacts on forests, biodiversity, climate, and communities. Our primary focus is connected to reducing the impacts of paper through education and advocacy. We work in the book publishing and now newspaper publishing industries as well as the paper industry at-large.

What does this program do for the environment?

The Initiative engages large corporations in setting goals to dramatically increase their use of recycled and FSC certified paper. This reduces pressure on forests, preserves biodiversity, and generates support for indigenous communities struggling to maintain a traditional way of life. One of the goals that we are helping the book industry to accomplish is the transition from a 5% recycled fiber use-rate to a 30% recycled fiber use rate by 2012. When the industry achieves this goal, it will save the equivalent of: it will result in an annual savings of more than 1 billion pounds of greenhouse gases (equivalent to removing 100,000 cars from the roads annually), 2.5 billion gallons of waste water, and more than 500 million pounds of solid waste.[1]

[1] The estimated environmental gains cited here differ from those cited in the Book Treatise itself due to the difference in estimates of the amount of paper used in books and estimates of grades.

Who can participate in the program?

Any company that wants to make a change for the better or association or stakeholder group that wants to support the transition underway. Authors are also welcome sign the Treatise and are encouraged to push their publishers to engage.

What kinds of standards do companies and authors have to meet in order to participate in your program? How easy or difficult can it be for a company to meet those standards?

In order to use the logo, publishers must have a meaningful environmental policy, ideally have signed the Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper and be printing the book in question on paper that meets or exceeds our minimum environmental criteria.

What are the cost comparisons? Does it cost more to print books on recycled paper? Will this cost likely affect how much the consumer pays for a book?

A recent poll found that 17% of companies were using recycled paper at cost parity. Other research shows that there are cost premiums. We feel that a higher cost shouldn't be perceived as an additional cost, but rather the cost of doing business in a socially responsible manner. If environmentally responsible paper does cost more, we've found that it's anywhere from about 3 cents to 7 cents more per book and our readers poll of 1,000 readers found that 80% were willing to pay .25 cents to $1.00 more per book...so it's really a win-win opportunity.

Where does the currently used non-recycled paper come from? How many books that we read are made from this material?

Virgin fiber paper is coming from various parts of the U.S. and specifically from sensitive forest regions in the Southeast U.S. Canadian coastal and interior forests, Indonesia and parts of Chile and Brazil. Given the high conservation value of many forests in these regions, book publishers are encouraged to use FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper to ensure that the fiber is not coming from an Endangered Forest or an area of social conflict.

Recently, the Green Press Initiative and the Book Study Industry Group worked together to conduct a benchmarking survey of the publishing industry and its effects on the environment. Can you tell me a little about the survey and its expected results?

Wow, there's a lot to tell. It's been a year in the making and will be released in early March. We looked at the book industry's carbon footprint - nearly 13 million metric tons of carbon per year. We found positive trends - nearly 50% of those surveyed had signed the Book Industry Treatise, mill use of recycled fiber had grown 6 fold and printer use of recycled fiber had grown tenfold in just a few years. Many publishers and others were beginning to set goals for addressing climate changes and much much more.

What can concerned authors do to get their books in the green?

Push their publishers to use recycled and FSC certified paper for their book and to develop an environmental policy if they haven't already. We've got recommended contract language for authors and are here as a resource.

Besides recycled paper, how can publishing companies reduce their effect on the environment?

Through efforts to use less paper, reduce energy consumption, offset carbon emissions, install energy efficient lighting, use non-toxic materials, purchase green power, install solar panels, provide hybrid vehicles for sales staff, develop a meaningful environmental policy with goals and timelines, and more!

What can I, as one person, do to reduce my impact?

Simplify. Consume less. Buy Organic. Drive less and fuel efficient ones when making the drive. Install energy efficient lighting. Eat local. Use the heat and A/C a lot less. Use non-toxic cleaning products. Vote for candidates that talk about these issues. Invest in socially responsible funds or businesses. Go to www.newdream.org to learn more. Be compassionate and conscious.