Dirt Rag, a leading mountain bike magazine, was the Aveda Environmental Award Winner; Greenability, Kansas City’s green living magazine, was the Runner Up; and GRIT, America’s rural lifestyle magazine, was the Finalist. All three magazines demonstrate industry leadership on environmental publishing practices.
Green America’s Better Paper Project Director Frank Locantore said: “Despite the rise of the digital age, the world is using more paper than ever before. Dirt Rag, Greenability and GRIT are all shining examples of how we can make print more sustainable. They truly stand out in the magazine industry, where only about 2% of U.S. publications regularly use recycled paper.”
The awards from Aveda, a pioneer in corporate environmental sustainability and responsibility, recognize environmental leadership and achievement in the magazine industry through use of environmentally responsible paper and production practices.
GRIT Publisher and Editorial Director, Bryan Welch, said: “We take considerable pride in using recycled-content paper to lessen GRIT magazine’s environmental impact. This decision goes hand-in-hand with our long history – dating back to the late 1800s – of being good stewards of the land. We hope that this will lead to greater environmental practices by others in the magazine industry, too!”
Dirt Rag Publisher, Maurice Tierney, said: “Because our staff and readers are avid mountain bikers and spend a lot of time outdoors, we treasure the environment and do what we can to minimize our footprint. As a natural extension of this, the staff is proud to use 90 percent recycled, Forest Stewardship Council Certified and Process Chlorine Free paper in Dirt Rag.” Tierney added, "It’s as simple as walking the walk."
Julie Koppen, Publisher of Greenability, commented: “Greenability's mission is to showcase the efforts Kansas City are making to be a more sustainable metropolitan area. We hope to be an example by upholding the highest standards for a printed magazine. So, our use of recycled and Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper is one example of how we can reduce our own use of natural resources.”
Less than two percent of all magazines contain any recycled content. If the entire North American magazine industry included a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer recycled paper in their publications, they would save approximately 10 million trees, enough energy to heat 73,000 homes, and the C02 emissions of 160,000 cars.
For a more comprehensive list of magazines using recycled paper and sustainable production processes, visit Green America’s Better Paper Project website.
