In a previous life, I ‘managed a small cafe that was part of the Austin Museum of Art. I tried to encourage our purchaser to seek out as many ‘eco friendly’ paper items as she could find, but we had a hard time dealing with the greater cost of those goods as compared to their nasty tree-wasting competition. I was proud to serve our coffee in recycled content cups and provide cornstarch cutlery, but the cost eventually outweighed my desire to do good and our budget was slashed along...
Here at Emerald we are passionate about saving the forest because there are just so many reasons to do so. This blog is the final installment of a three part series of why we need to preserve one of our planet’s most precious resources, the forests. In this post we’d like to examine some compelling environmental reasons to keep the world’s forests standing. 1. Climate Change Deforestation is a double edged sword when it comes to climate change. First, forests are the lungs of the world, sequestering...
Here at Emerald we are passionate about saving the forest because there are just so many reasons to do so. This blog is the second of a three part series of why we need to preserve one of our planet’s most precious resources, the rain forests. In this post we’d like to examine some compelling social reasons to keep the world’s forests standing. 1. Indigenous Lifestyles Many indigenous people, such as the Dayak’s of Borneo, have been practicing their unique way of life for centuries. They...
Here at Emerald we are passionate about saving the forest because there are just so many reasons to do so. This blog is the first of a three part series of why we need to preserve one of our planet’s most precious resources. As we all know the forests are a beautiful and inspiring place that ideologically should be saved simply for their intrinsic value. However, did you know there are several compelling economic reasons to save the forest as well? 1. Pharmaceutical potential Currently western...
James Cameron’s critically acclaimed movie “Avatar” has sparked the imagination of millions worldwide. Its story intertwines the majesty of a beautiful and unspoiled planet, Pandora, an indigenous people who live in harmony with the natural world, the Nav’ii, and a plundering corporation which aims to exploit Pandora for its own benefit. Although Avatar takes place on a distant world, similar stories are occurring throughout the frontier forests of Earth. This post will explain the plight...
In honor of our commitment to protecting the forests we’d like to pay tribute to some real life hero’s who have made a huge difference for these wonderful areas! This is our first post in what will become a “Hero of the Forest” series. We would love suggestions from our readers of who to pay tribute to next! Faith Doherty of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has spent years working to conserve the ancient rainforests of Borneo. These forests are home to some of the world’s most...
On February 2nd the United Nations officially launched its International Year of Forests. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. Here at Emerald Eco Products we are dedicated to finding alternative ways to make paper products which do not cause deforestation. In order to do this we make our tissue products out of Bagasse, which is an agricultural...
1) Only agricultural residue is considered a clear environmentally friendly feedstock for paper. The environmentally friendliness of on-purpose crops such as Kenaf depends on the specific farm’s practices. Based on the guidance by the Environmental Defense Fund’s Paper Taskforce, and the Environmental Paper Network’s Common Vision Guidelines agricultural residue, such as Bagasse and Wheat Straw, are the only feedstock’s that have clear environmental benefits. For on purpose crops the benefits...
BPA, or Bisphenol-A, has received a lot of media attention as of late, and has been linked to disturbing environmental and health effects. BPA is an endocrine disruptor which mimics estrogen. It has been linked to brain, behavioral or reproductive problems in fetal studies of animals, and is why several states have moved to ban the substance in baby bottles. BPA has also been linked to ecological havoc in marine ecosystems because it can actually cause sex change in certain fish species (think an...
Doesn’t use trees and therefore doesn’t contribute to deforestation. Requires no additional land conversion from wild lands to agricultural land because Bagasse is a waste product. Reduces pressure on farmers to convert wild lands to agricultural lands because it increases the value of their current crop production. More rapidly renewable than tree based paper because sugar cane grows to maturity within 12 months compared to at least 20 years for most trees. Avoids the negative environmental...
