Doggedly Pursuing Green

By Modern Dog Staffer Elizabeth Kemp

March 2008

As a leading publication catering to one of the fastest growing demographics in North America, Modern Dog brings the reader award-winning photography, insightful and amusing editorial, and answers to pressing canine-related questions. Over the past few years we have been looking at our industry and learning how to make it greener by incorporating earth-conscious and sustainable business practices in to our operation. We have changed our product, our content, and our office practices to address and minimize the impact Modern Dog has on the planet.

Our medium is paper so where it is sourced from and how it is harvested is a primary concern. It took us almost three years to find a stock that was not only environmentally sound, but comparable to the look and feel our publication had had up to that point. Our second concern was cost, making the switch needed to be financially feasible. Within the last year we have been able to source a premium grade 2 paper stock that consists of 10% post consumer waste (pcw) and is certified as an environmentally and socially responsible choice by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). In order to receive FSC certification, the forestry practices carried out by a timber company need to be verified by an independent third party. Our certification attests to our paper coming from well managed forests and consisting of recycled wood or fiber. As the quality of the stock is important to us, it was necessary to obtain numerous samples of various grades of FSC paper and mocked up books before the final decision could be made. Thankfully we found a stock that was within our budget yet maintained our high production standards. With our fall 2007 issue we went green. Switching our stock was the first of a number of changes we are looking to make in the future. An electronic version of the magazine will be available to our readers by June 1^st, 2008 and as well, we're looking at switching to vegetable-based inks and biodegradable polywrap (ours is currently recyclable). Looking ahead we are committed to continued environmental responsibility and feel greener production for the publishing industry as a whole is only going to become easier as suppliers, distributors, and buyers become more aware.

As a company with a high profile, we feel it's important for us to set a good example in all that we do. We prefer to order our office supplies from an independent local retailer specializing in low impact products, and find the cost equitable with big brand name distributors. Every item we purchase from the independent results in fewer resources used to manufacture non-friendly products, putting less waste into our landfills. As well, we use light emitting diode (LED) bulbs, 100% recycled paper for all printers and copiers and are looking into off-setting our power use with our local hydro company. We also print our business reply cards, inserts, and outserts on a minimum of 50% recycled cardstock. And, of course, being a dog-friendly office, all our poo-bags are biodegradable (though, unfortunately, as we learned the hard way, not all bio-degradable poo-bags are created equal; research and samples are key).

To get Modern Dog into the hands of our readers, we rely on large shipments of the magazine to be sent to distribution plants on either side of North America. We plan our shipments well enough in advance to be able to use less-than-load (LTL) shipping companies where we share trailer space with other freight going in the same direction to be as efficient as possible. Working out of more than one shared warehouse allows us to choose the shortest shipping distance for our magazines when supplying them to events and charitable fundraisers, reducing the amount of carbon we produce in moving the magazines. Our readers pitch in and help us out by re-using the magazines as well; we have a pass along rate of ten people per copy!

Modern Dog magazine reaches a high-income demographic that wants to spend money on their pets. By highlighting environmentally conscious companies, earth-friendly dog gear and our favorite eco-products, we are spreading the word that it's in style to be green. We take our responsibility as members of the media seriously and use our magazine to encourage awareness among our readership. In our Fall 2007 issue we acknowledged that actions speak louder than words and featured six entrepreneurs who learned that charity begins at the office and that even a small company can make a big change in the world.

Green your Publication:

1. PRODUCT: FSC is not the only organization representing our forests. Check with your printer - they should be able to point you in the right direction. Also note that in order to be certified, all parties involved (i.e., mill, printer, etc.) must also be certified. Take the time to source your stock; paper that contains post consumer waste can vary in quality.
2. PRODUCTION: Let your printer know you are interested in greening your product. As this movement becomes more mainstream, pricing for vegetable based inks and green polybagging will become more reasonable, not to mention more readily available. Schedule shipping in advance, that way your freight can travel with other shipments along the same route.
3. WASTE: Print what you need. We are very particular about our numbers and print only what we expect to distribute. We are also distributed by a company that collects newsstand returns and re-distributes them to waiting rooms across the country. This program not only saves these copies from being destroyed, but gets our product into the hands of new readers.
4. DATA: Writer submissions, and the majority of our correspondence, are managed through email. To lessen the amount of mailing waste to subscribers, be very careful to maintain correct addresses and contact information.
5. CONTENT: Use your voice to highlight and give credit to other companies and organizations that are doing their part. Encourage your readers to think about their purchases and their own impact on the environment.
6. LOCAL: green your office by reducing the amount of waste and encourage recycling and re-use programs. Little changes can do big things: subsidize public transit passes for your employees; change incandescent bulbs to LED's to reduce your energy costs; source office supplies from local companies and contact your power company to find out about offsetting your businesses use.