This whole "Save A Tree" campaign that we keep hearing about really makes me say to anyone that buys into this rubbish to "think about it"! There are so many false hopes about "Save a Tree" that one could spend days explaining. Think about the idea that I can grow another tree, YOU can grow another tree, ANYONE can help go out and plant trees! So why the big push to "Save a Tree"?
Now, ask yourself this, how renewable or recyclable is your smart phone, your computer, your tablet device or book reader? What's the carbon footprint used to make that device? What's the energy used to power the services that those devices use? I won't bore you with the facts or statistics. Reality makes it necessary to use these devices for business and pleasure.
I think what we really need is a "Save a Job - chop down a tree" campaign. Harvesting trees saves jobs. Planting new trees saves jobs. Recycling paper saves jobs. Even using a stamp on an envelope made from a tree with a check inside that is also made from a tree that can both be recycled again, saves many jobs! So lets chop down a tree or save all our paper trash to give to the recyclers and save a job. Think about it - Save a Tree?
But wait, that's not all you should think about when contemplating this save a tree idea. How about thinking of the reasons why the paper industry is the one you always hear about when "Save a Tree" comes up. What about the lumber used by homebuilders and furniture manufactures? What about people with fireplaces who love to curl up with a loved one in front of that wonderful warm fire that turns wood to ashes? Why is it, that only paper is the one that is always targeted? Call me a conspiracy theorist, but to me, it looks like financial gain is the main motivating factor here.
Pay your bills on line? Who benefits the most? The seller by getting paid faster and the bank that can place ads in front of you for awhile. Send an email instead of a letter? Who benefits the most financially? This could be debated more but the company that you bought your device from and service you use to transmit with like Google or Yahoo stand to make a profit by being able to shove ads into your face while using their services.
So to me, I can see why online service providers and advertisers want you to give up paper. But "Save A Tree" just makes me feel like they all think we are stupid! Consider this, around the beginning of this year, Google started a campaign with the tag line "Save money. Save time. Save trees". Now after numerous letters disputing the credibility of this statement to CEO Larry Page and Chairman Eric Schmidt, the misleading tagline has been removed from their "Go Paperless 2013" campaign. If these two distinguished leaders of tech can see the valid points made by the Printing Industry of America and take down their tag line, then I feel it is time that we spread the word and have a more realistic conversation about "Save a Tree".
To learn more about the value of print, download a free flip-book by visiting
www.printing.org/valueofprint
