New York, NY – We have talked extensively in our blog posts about printing with intelligence, practicing sustainability, etc. Various environmental groups have been decrying the use of paper for several years. We would suspect most people that work in an office (if not everyone), has seen the little “tree picture” at the bottom of an e-mail that says “Think green…don’t print this unless you ready need to” or “Think before you print.” So, in defense of paper, it should come as no surprise that a copy paper company, Domtar, Inc. has recently caused a stir with a message of their own. Their message: “Put it on paper.”
The ad campaign will be conducted in North America and president and CEO of Domtar, John Williams, is quick to point out that is not supposed to be an attack against the environment, but rather teaching people to be responsible about printing. Making people feel guilty about printing is not good practice, and there are appropriate uses for it.
Countering Mr. Williams’ comments is Melission Filion, acting director for Greenpeace Canada, she stated: “To go against the current with this kind of campaign is to go backwards,’” and “ ‘We should be encouraging reduction of paper use and use of recycled paper.’”
Taking a broader view of the situation, it is likely in the best interest of these two groups to stop with the “shock value” rhetoric and discuss means to foster compromise. Each party’s bottom line would seem to be the same: Be responsible when it comes to how much paper you choose to use, and be sure to recycle. There seems to be enough room in the middle for everyone’s comfort.
