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Green Attribute Definitions

ALTERNATIVE BLEACHING PROCESSES: Bleaching is the process used to whiten paper. Chlorine bleaching, which produces toxic dioxins, is currently the most common bleaching method used. Dioxins have been linked to cancer and birth defects in laboratory studies. There are several other bleaching techniques that either reduce or eliminate the emission of dioxins, which are as follows:

• ELEMENTAL CHLORINE FREE (ECF): A bleaching process that substitutes chlorine dioxide or other chlorine compounds for elemental chlorine gas.1
• TOTALLY CHLORINE FREE (TCF): A bleaching process that introduces no chlorine into the bleaching stage, using instead oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone to separate and whiten fibers.1

BIODEGRADABLE: Describes a material or liquid that is capable of breaking down by natural processes.

ENERGY EFFICIENT: Products that are energy efficient use less energy and therefore produce less pollution than conventional products. In addition, using these products can save you money by lowering your monthly energy bill.

ENERGY STAR LABEL: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established energy efficiency criteria for office products that employ Low-Power mode conditions to reduce energy consumption and emissions. The Low-Power Mode refers to the lowest power state the product can automatically enter within some period of product inactivity, without actually turning off. Energy Star equipment reduces pollution, lowers your energy bill, generates less heat, and has a longer life span than other equipment.2 Note that you often must configure your equipment to use the low-power mode to get the full benefit of this feature.

LOW-VOC: Low odor, vapor density is lighter than air and emits fewer volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and other toxins.

LCD vs. CRT: Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors and laptops use less energy and put out less heat, than Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors.

NON-TOXIC: A substance or mixture of substances that is less likely to harm humans or other living organisms from airborne or skin contact in the environment. There are many toxic chemicals in the products we use; formaldehyde, ammonia, and solvents are just a few. For more information on chemicals, please contact the Environmental Operations Manager for Facilities Management. (Contact information on back page.)

OLD GROWTH: 250-500 year-old trees with a mixed canopy (trees in various stages) including down trees (trees that have fallen and are decaying). Among other attributes, old growth forests provide a variety of different habitats and nutrients.

POST-CONSUMER MATERIAL: Any material that has served its intended use as a consumer item, and has been recovered from the solid waste stream. Buying products with a high percentage of post-consumer material rather than pre-consumer material stimulates demand for recycling collection programs, like CU's.

PRE-CONSUMER MATERIAL: Any material generated by manufacturers and product converters such as trimmings, damaged products, and overruns.

RECYCLABLE: A product that is recyclable has the potential to be recycled and used again to make new products.

RECYCLED CONTENT: An item that contains some pre-consumer or post-consumer content. Read the label carefully to verify the percentage of post-consumer content.

SOLVENT BASED: Solvents are one of the causes of volatile organic compounds (see Low VOC for definition). Look instead for water, vegetable, or citric bases.

SUSTAINABLY HARVESTED MATERIALS: Wood-based products derived from selective harvesting which improves/sustains the long-term old growth structure of a forest.1 There are only a few legitimate certification groups for sustainably harvested materials. One of the most respected is the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certification.

TREE-FREE: Non-wood, alternative fibers primarily derived from annual crops, either grown intentionally for paper or abundant by-products of food and fiber production. Because they only grow for one season, these crops do not develop the high levels of lignins that bind tree cellulose fibers together. This means tree-free fibers can be pulped with significantly fewer chemicals, fewer stages of bleaching, using less energy and water, making tree-free fibers more environmentally advantageous than wood-based varieties. Most of these crops can be blended with post-consumer materials to create quality papers for a variety of applications. Examples include Bamboo, Kenaf, and Hemp.1

1 The SimpleLife Guide to Tree-Free, Recycled and Certified Papers, 1999. Author: Dan Inholf, info@simplelife.com
2 www.labeling@energystar.gov