It seems fitting that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s first 100 percent recycled text books are a series for K-5th graders called “Go Math!”

Because the math (and the science) tells us that the earth is warming and we’d better figure out how to recycle, reuse and reduce or plan to jettison the planet in a big spaceship in the not-distance future.

The “Go Math!” series will be available in spring 2010 and has already been adopted by the state of Florida. The company estimates that the green textbooks will save 40,000 trees and 8 million gallons of water in Florida alone. It will reduce carbon air emissions by 3.8 million pounds and eliminate 1 million pounds of solid waste, according to HMH.

The company reduced the carbon footprint of the book series by:

• Printing all student editions in domestic plants governed by U.S. environmental laws, which saved on shipping and waste

• Using post-consumer recycled fiber for the paper, which saves on trees and reduces manufacturing energy consumption

Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is the world’s largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools. The company is committed to producing more green textbooks, said Mike Lavelle, K–12 president at HMH. “School districts across the county have expressed that environmental stewardship is a priority, so we will continue to build our Green Edition content to provide more sustainable solutions nationwide.”

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will be competing in a rapidly changing market in which many colleges and schools are turning to electronic textbook services. With higher level educational material scattered online and across other electronic formats, paper textbooks may soon seem environmentally weighty, even in recycled form.

California has announced it is going digital with public school textbooks.

By some calculations, electronic isn’t necessarily greener. It depends on whether you’re reading that textbook on a simple reader or a high-powered computer; how long you are plugged in and where the electricity is sourced. (See this Guardian article for more discussion comparing paper to electronic textbooks.)

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in fact, offers some interactive educational programs, such as Destination Math.

If you’re ready to turn over a new, green leaf this school year, there are plenty of opportunities to go eco-friendly, from recycled paper and pencils to lunch boxes and sandwich wraps made of recycled PET plastic. Compared to last year, there are more green school supplies now available and more stores are carrying them. Here’s our guide to some of the basics you be looking for:

Binders: These New Leaf binders are made from recycled paper, not plastic, so they will degrade after use. They are available in 1 inch and ½ inch. We like the reasonable price. Find them at BuyGreen.com. Or look for Terracycle Eco-Binders in 1-inch and 2-inch ring sizes at Office Max.

For report binders, try these 30 percent recycled versions at Office Depot.

Paper products are getting unquestionably more environmentally sensitive. With even big name brands like Kimberly-Clark publicly committing to using fibers from sustainably managed forests, you can expect to see stores make more room on the shelves for at least one “alternative” paper product brand.

One we like to see is the Marcal brand, which has been recycling paper fiber since 1950. We’ve spotted their paper towels at Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores and now we see Marcal paper towels and toilet paper in the main paper products aisles at Kroger grocery stores.

Our local Kroger has carried Seventh Generation paper products, but had cordoned them off with all the other organic foods and products in a special section. The main paper aisle remained a wonderland of fluffy virgin paper products. We see the move to put Marcal front and center as serious progress. Now folks who aren’t looking for environmentally friendly products will at least get an eyeful of Marcal’s bright yellow label and see the company’s appeal to save trees.

Marcal, you see, doesn’t use trees for its paper products, but makes them from reclaimed paper fiber. The Small Steps paper towels we picked up are 100-percent recycled and are whitened without bleach. Also the paper towels come off in smaller sections to discourage waste — in a world where built-in obsolescence and excess have been accepted — that strikes the right note. (Of course, you can reduce your use even more by replacing paper towels with a wash cloth….)

There’s a funny scene in the Larry David show Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Larry, and the displaced New Orleans family encamped in his house, wink and smirk over the toilet paper that his wife has installed in the bathrooms.

Being an environmentalist – as is her real life counterpart Laurie David – Cheryl David had outfitted the water closets with recycled TP. The running joke was that everyone had noticed the difference. And they weren’t in love with the experience.

Such is the reputation of recycled TP. Although, it seems as though I have successfully slipped it by my family. Has it gotten better (I think it has)? Or are they smirking behind my back? Probably a bit of both. I don’t really know, and it doesn’t matter because we won’t be returning to conventional stuff.

The environmental costs of using virgin paper for disposable products are just too great. Deforestation is a problem worldwide and at the very least, we can avoid being co-conspirators by rejecting the marketing myth that we have to treat ourselves to the cushiest TP. I mean, really.

Believe it or not, there’s been a bit of debate over bathroom paper. One guy in NYC made his point by starting his own brand of recycled TP. It’s called —- Be Gone and its proprietor claims it is softer (when folded and not crumpled) than the embossed, puffed and well-marketed stuff sold in stores. Who knew? We were just un-informed,  crumpling instead of folding.

—- Be Gone is crudely, but incisively named: This is a single-use, single-function product. Do we really want to carve up forests for it?

Here’s an area where a lesson from our forebears seems in order. They once used the Sears Catalog in the outhouse. That was the original recycled TP and from not so long ago, in the broad sweep of history. (Oddly, the Kimberly-Clark, maker of non-recycled TP includes an essay about the history of toilet paper on its website. Things like corn cobs, leaves and newspapers are mentioned.)

Granted, we don’t much get the Sears catalog these days. And the thought of using it that way…let alone a corn cob. Let’s not go there.

Today, we have better ways at our, ah, disposal. Our family has a membership to Costco, and kudos to them, they carry the Sunrise brand of recycled TP — sold in bulk packages no less.  If it’s not the softest paper we’ve ever encountered, well, it’s soft enough.

For those of you shopping at other stores, please see the newly reissued Greenpeace Recycled  Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide, which gives thumbs up to brands such as Green Forest, Seventh Generation, Natural Value, Earth Friendly, Fiesta and Fiesta Green and Whole Foods Market house brand 365. The guide lists TP brands to avoid as well, such as Charmin, Angel Soft and Kleenex Cottonelle, Quilted Northern, Scott, Target and Wal-Mart brands.

(I should note, too, that Costco’s house brand, Kirkland, pops up as a facial tissue to avoid. Other than Whole Foods, house brands, including Wal-Mart’s, Target’s and CVS, tend to fall into the “avoid” category. Interesting, given so many of these stores are touting other green advances.)

For more background on the guide, see our story, Greenpeace issues new guide for choosing recycled personal paper products.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

I thought we’d get ahead of ourselves if we talked calendars, but now that I’ve moved into that zone where I’m noting appointments on little pieces of scratch paper because I don’t have any “January”… It’s time to get set for ‘09.

Let’s first acknowledge that, yes, keeping an online paperless calendar is the greenest way to go. Hats off to my friends and colleagues who have an electronic calendar following them around on their Blackberries. I’m not so deft with tiny keyboards and as the household commissar I must have something a bit less virtual. I am the keeper of the Master Schedule and when teens related to me try to foist off the details of their next band concert or Starbucks tete-a-tete, I direct them to the Master Schedule.

So to cut to the chase, we need something on paper or whiteboard. But try to find a calendar that didn’t claim any trees. It’s not easy. I was disappointed that my favorite bookstores (I won’t name names) weren’t so accommodating.

There are several calendars of the more sturdy, practical office variety available at online office stores, such as The Green Office, which offers a nice array of appointment books and wall calendars on 100 percent recycled paper printed with soy inks. Practical and they have their place. I’m a sucker though for arty calendars.

Turns out there are some colorful calendars around with eco cred. Comic book and football fans, at least, can cheer their good fortune on this count.

The Asgard Press in Wilmington, Delaware, has gone full press into printing large format, quality calendars; their entire line of is printed on on 100 percent recycled heavyweight paper using soy inks. They offer several retro calendars featuring U.S. football teams, including powerhouses like Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State and other teams that are not always so powerful, like my alma mater, Northwestern.

These calendars are richly colored and feature artwork from souvenir game programs from the early part of the 20th century, making them a great gift for sports fans. Equally cool are Asgard’s new DC Comics Super Heroes 2009 calendar and their Mad Magazine calendar. The DC Comics calendar features Superman, Batman and Flash, among others. Both calendars been selling well, a spokeswoman told us. They are sold online and in select retail outlets.

What’s great about Asgard is they seem to have made a real commitment to eco-friendly practices, and have detailed on their website their efforts to become a pioneer in this area. They started with the idea of printing something people would want to save and collect instead of trashing at the end of the year, and recently made the switch to using archival recycled paper and soy inks in 2007.

Oh look, up in the sky! It’s a tree left standing.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Catalog mailings are nearing full swing now, with mailboxes deluged by hefty full-color enticements to get that Christmas shopping done by phone.

Obviously, online shopping is more prudent, ecologically speaking. However, at the recent Business of Green Media Conference in Boston, the printing industry showed signs of taking green issues seriously.

Consumers can “take solace” in the fact that many catalogs are recycled and others are certified as coming from sustainable forests, said Beth Reardon, a corporate accounts manager with Appleton Coated, one of more than 30 companies represented at the conference’s Expo.

Appleton Coated, a paper company that sells under the Utopia brand, uses virgin fiber but does not use any fiber bleaching, said Reardon. None of their pulp comes from old-growth timber or rainforests. It’s all 100 percent certified by one or all of the following: the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

These certification groups were created as a result of concern for the planet’s forests. They review companies’ practices to assure that they do not use old growth or rainforest timber, or engage in disreputable forestry practices that can lead to habitat loss or the displacement of human residents.

In addition to having the paper forestry certified, companies also can apply for an even higher sustainability stamp of approval by seeking a Chain-of-Custody certification, which means that the process of getting the paper to the consumer also is certified.

A COC certification, for example, might state that the company used a certified pulp producer (who uses proper harvesting practices for the wood); a certified paper manufacturer, a certified merchant and a certified printer (who uses soy-based ink).

Finch Paper, another company represented at the Green Media Expo, makes uncoated papers that come from forests they manage near the Adirondacks in upstate New York. For years, the company purchased forestland in the Adirondacks but in 2007 they sold it (160,000 acres) to The Nature Conservancy, said Finch’s business development manager, Mary Masterson.

The conservancy then hired Finch back to manage it for them.

“Our collaboration with the Nature Conservancy is grounded in our common belief that environmentally sound forest management is good for society and good for the forest,” Masteron says.

At Presstek Digital Offset Printing, a New Hampshire company showcased at the Expo, spokeswoman Betty LaBaugh talked about the printing firm’s environmental efforts. “We use chemistry-free imaging,” she says. Instead of plate chemistry, Presstek uses thermal laser digital imaging. They also use waterless or soy-based waterless ink. And all their printing is done on recycled paper.

The printing industry, at least that portion of it represented at the Green Media Expo, seems to be getting the green message. Looking through our own mail today, we see that the Crate & Barrel catalog has an FSC logo stamped on the back alongwith the message: Please recycle.

Of course there is still that other “R” to consider, and now, before the holiday avalanche might be a good time to reduce one’s catalog load. You can call merchants directly to get off their list or use one of the many services, such as Catalog Choice.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Well, slap us with a ruler, it’s time once again to hunt down school supplies, to elbow into the desperate mob with our mandates to secure a thousand pens, pencils, highlighters, fine tip Sharpies, binders and the mysterious “folders with brads.”

With the eco news streaming like ticker tape from the big office stores this year, we thought it would be an easy assignment to find what we needed in recycled versions. We were surprised that this was not the case. The stores we sampled (Office Depot, Office Max and Target) offered only a handful of green notebooks and non-toxic pens. At Office Depot we nearly struck out, looking in vain for recycled filler paper, reasonably priced eco-responsible spiral notepads and pencils made from post-consumer waste. We did spot a reusable shopping bag at the checkout line. But we had only a lone green item, Ticonderoga EnviroStik pencils, to put in it!

Tired of combat crawling through towering stacks of un-green paper and binders, we turned the Internet. Aha! Here we found much greener pastures. Online, even the Big Box stores that had failed us in person had the environmentally good goods. Go figure. Serves us right for expending $4 gasoline to search out environmentally friendly products. Our findings, and a powerfully definitive list it is:

OFFICE DEPOT

We hurried here when we saw the big back to school flyer, even though it mainly featured conventional items. We’d also read the explainer box on the website for how to buy green, so we were excited to visit the store. Even though the sale flyer hadn’t emphasized green products, we wishfully thought they’d be there. We wanted to find, for instance, the Recycled Index Cards (pack of 500
$2.89). No luck. But at least they are available online.

Other items that we couldn’t find at the store, but that were available online:

Foray Recycled Groundwood Construction Paper (9 x 12 colors, pack of 50, $1.49 – see picture right); Office Depot Brand College Ruled Filler paper, pack of 100, (50 percent recycled content with minimum of 30 percent post consumer content; $2.49 each); and a cool Costa Rica Natural Banana Paper Recycled Notebook (2-subject; 70 sheets, $5.99).

The Banana Paper notebook is made of 100 percent post-consumer waste – it doesn’t get any more responsible than that – in Nicaragua using some banana waste and local labor. Shipping zaps a little of its low-impact appeal, but Nicaragua isn’t much farther than South Dakota from where we reside.

Another green notebook offered is the New Leaf 100 percent Think & Smile Postconsumer Recycled Notebook (80 sheets, $5.99; pictured above) with nifty bird and tree graphic designs on the cover. Pricing on both notebooks is steep, perhaps due to economies of scale?

For tadpoles the Office Depot website offers the 70-sheet Foray Recycled Newsprint Writing Tablet with a 1″ Rule ($2.19)

Pens? We finally found ‘em. Zebra is the brand to look for here. They make pens from plastic casings from old car headlights and compact discs and from plastic

shopping bags ($15.59 for a dozen).

STAPLES

Staples has really been pushing their green side, with ink cartridge recycling programs and recycled office papers (which are becoming requisite at all office stores) so we expected them to have the goods. They came through with this Mead Five Star Spiral 3-subject, college ruled notebook. It’s a familiar brand and it’s composed of 50 percent post-consumer material ($7.99 ).

We also found Staples College Ruled Filler Paper, a 400-count batch at a good price ($3.19 on sale) and the same Zebra pens made of 75 percent recycled material we found at Office Depot and for a slightly better price ($14.99 for a dozen in black ink).

Both of these were listed as Eco-Easy products on the online store, but we were unclear what Staples means by that. Some Eco-Easy products are simply non-toxic, say pens with water-based or soy inks; the site didn’t explain the eco-friendliness of “Eco-Easy” paper but talked generally about how “eco-smart” products save resources.

To help customers find items made of recycled materials, Staples uses the universal recycling symbol. So if you’re looking for either non-toxic or what might be called lower impact products, or recycled items, use the “Eco Easy” index online. We used it to find, for instance, low-odor Sharpies, which are better for kids.

One new cool new green item at Staples turned up in our browsing, the recycled rubber bulletin board. The blurb claims it won’t crumble like cork, that’s green and it’s available in brown or black ($54.99).

OFFICE MAX

We didn’t have great luck finding recycled school supplies here. A search for “recycled notebooks” turned up a lone 60-page steno pad. Pretty disappointing. The store does have a back to school sale going, but the focus is on price not sustainability.

Not willing to give up, we continued to poke around the website, finding recycled paper for printers,
(but all the office stores carry that) and recycled Post It notes.

Turns out, Max has recycled pencils by Paper Mate Earthwrite, made from reclaimed wood rendered in a simple #2 pencil (12-pack for $1.09). Hurrah! But not enough to build an order around. We also found this 1-inch EcoVue binder made by Aurora out of recycled plastic (no VOCs to worry about). Now they’re starting to get somewhere, and if they stocked these items faithfully in the stores, Office Max might make sense as a local vendor of green school supplies.

But we really started to have more fun, and expand our options when we looked at specialty venues online…

PROGRESSIVE KID

This store is..well, progressive. You’ll pay more a little more for some stuff, but actually many of their notebooks from the New Leaf collection are priced lower than in the big chain stores. New Leaf’s 120-sheet, 3-subject notebook, made of100 percent post-consumer recycled material ($6.99), is a good value measured against similar notebooks we saw.

You’ll also find neat stuff not available elsewhere like this metal sandwich box. Sturdy, reusable, non-leaching ($24.99).

And there’s the occasional oddball item, like the Spider Relocator, for brave parents modeling empathy and intent on saving insect-eating arachnids. Who knew?

RED APPLE SCHOOL SUPPLY

This company specializes in pre-packed green school supply boxes that the local PTA can order and sell. A great idea. They also sell individual items, like these FSC certified pencils (we’d prefer recycled however),
a decent buy (12-count for $2.49).

Beware that the “green” colored pencils they sell are imported from Spain, which would carry a significant carbon imprint if you’re an American household.

SMENCILS

Eco-friendly color pencils are not available in abundance. We couldn’t find any at the big office supply stores. But there is one variety that fits the bill, as long as you don’t mind them being scented, and that’s Smencils. They’re made from recycled newsprint, available in art supply stores, and can be bought in bulk at the Smencils website for fundraising purposes.

We’ve tried Smencils and they’re fun and sturdy. Find them at specialty stores such as the Stubby Pencil Studio (10 for $14)
and at Target online. (12 for $11.99).

GREENLINE PAPER COMPANY

Still looking for a site where we could buy most of our basics and not have to order from three different places, we gratefully found the Greenline Paper Company. They stock the school supply staples like loose leaf paper and notebooks, categorized under their school supply tab.

Their prices are reasonable and you can buy in modest bulk packs that are workable for families. For instance a 6-pack of college-ruled, 80-sheet spiral notebooks by Second Nature is $12.59. That’s about $2 a notebook, better than a lot of places, and not so much to tempt you off the green wagon.

A 500-sheet pack of 100 percent recycled college-ruled filler paper (40 percent post-consumer content), will set you back $6.95, not so bad considering you’re helping the globe hang onto it’s forests.

Greenline also has index cards and 33-cent pencils made from recycled old money. Double green points for choosing these because your kids will get questions and can spread the message.

RECYCLED PRODUCTS (.Com)

This site has a wonderful selection of pens and pencils and something you simply can’t find at your brick mortar stores, recycled MECHANICAL pencils. If you have a kid who just digs these, this is your spot. They’re made with reclaimed wood casings, and they’re reusable.

This store also offers PLA Pens, made of the biodegradable plastic. But you’ll need to place a bulk order for at least 250 (and call to get a price quote), fine for Student Council projects; overkill for household use.

SUSTAINABLE GROUP (.net)

Oh Snap! Binders, you’ve got to have them and they’re usually plastic. This site offers something different, the Enviro-Friendly 3-Ring Rebinder made of corrugated cardboard, with a cover that can be replaced. Read their explanation of the Rebinder for more info.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Solid-wood furniture is pricey and obviously involves harvesting trees, but the alternatives aren’t necessarily much more appealing: Particle board, while transforming waste materials into something useful, is usually glued together with resin containing the carcinogen formaldehyde. A newer innovation, the “zBoard,” hopes to supplant particle board and MDF in a wholly eco-friendly way.

Way Basics spent ten years developing the zBoards, which are 99% composed of post-consumer waste paper (the remaining 1% is a water-resistant veneer paper) and combine pressed and corrugated layers. Being paper, the whole board is recyclable, and while it’s less than half as heavy as particle board, it’s sturdy enough to use for bookcases and desks.

The company is marketing a line of kits derived from combinations of a basic open-cube form. Shipped in flat packs, the sets make a point of extreme simplicity: Instead of screws or nails, the boards are attached with extremely strong 3M tape strips and given structural support by a sturdy paper backing board. Each can be assembled in a few minutes with no tools.

Being a founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Council, Way Basics is interested not only in selling its own products but in extending the life of already-existing furniture. Five percent of profits go to Help1Up, a non-profit that runs “Furniture Banks” across the country that collect donated furniture and direct items to families in need.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media