Have you seen the guy at your local greeting card aisle standing there forever not able to choose which card to get? That guy is me. I hate looking for greeting cards. It takes me forever to choose between the really sappy cards, the low brow cards and the really low brow cards. It doesn't matter the occasion it is hard for me to find a card for anyone I know in less than ten minutes. With all of this time spent the last time looking for a card I noticed a few cards with a note on the back with 'This card is made from sustainably managed forests'. I, of course, have seen cards which had been printed on 100% recycled paper, but not quite this story. I wanted to find out more about what exactly are sustainably managed forests.
From the Sustainable Forests Products website:
The particular greeting card that had this 'paper from sustainably managed forests' note was a Hallmark card. I wanted to find out a little more about Hallmark and being Green. I found out Hallmark has being making eco-friendly strides for decades.
From the Hallmark corporate website:
Facts
Hallmark began recycling paper in the 1940s.
The company first introduced recycled paper into select greeting card lines and packaging in the 1970s.
Hallmark established corporate-wide energy conservation and waste reduction programs in the 1990s.
Hallmark intends to obtain 50 percent of the paper it buys for greeting cards from recycled stock and 100 percent of the paper it buys for products from sustainable sources.
In 2008, Hallmark developed a “green” icon with four arrows revolving around the Hallmark crown. The arrows represent the four areas of Hallmark’s environmental efforts – water, waste, paper and energy.
In mid-2008, the Hallmark “green” icon started appearing on greeting cards and other product lines. Products made with paper from sustainably managed forests, recycled paper content, or other eco-friendly materials will bear this special icon, along with relevant labeling.
With all of this talk of greeting cards printed on 100% recycled materials and made with paper from sustainably managed forests don't forget about the other eco-alternatives to paper greeting cards. They are hand-made cards from hand-made paper as well as e-cards. Come to think of it, e-cards would probably save me time and get me out of your way as you look for a funny card for your third cousin twice removed. Happy card hunting.
