Tri-City Herald Logo

Closing the loop | Tri-City Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Archives
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services

    • News
    • Local News
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Hanford
    • Northwest
    • Nation & World
    • Obituary Listings
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • Health
    • Weird
    • Photos
    • Weather
    • Videos
    • Sports
    • Local Sports
    • Preps
    • Prep Countdown
    • Seattle Seahawks
    • Seattle Mariners
    • Tri-City Americans
    • Tri-City Dust Devils
    • Tri-Cities Fever
    • Hydros
    • Photos
    • Outdoors
    • Blogs
    • College
    • NFL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NHL
    • MLS
    • Golf
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Public Records
    • National Business
    • Technology
    • Entertainment
    • Local Arts
    • Celebrity
    • Mr. Movie
    • Movie Times
    • Movie News
    • Music News
    • Calendar
    • Submit Event
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Contests
    • Living
    • Food & Wine
    • Wine Press NW
    • Antique Appraisals
    • Health & Science
    • Home & Garden
    • Light Notes
    • Religion
    • Spiritual Life
    • Births
    • Engagements
    • Weddings
    • Anniversaries
    • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Editorials
    • National
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Submit Letter
    • Guest Columnists
  • Obituaries

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad

  • About Us
  • Mobile & Apps

Living

Closing the loop

Ron Buckland, Herald staff

    ORDER REPRINT →

June 23, 2009 01:57 AM

“Stop publishing newspapers,” a recent Get Green blog mentioned. “That’s a way to save the environment.”

A bold statement or misguided?

There are other examples of things used and produced by people that may fit the same criteria.

Take cars for instance. Is there anything that is worse than our rolling stock? Save the environment. Stop driving cars.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Tri-City Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Well, the truth is nothing has proved more versatile then the internal combustion engine. We may be in the process as a society to weaning ourselves from these very independent means of transporting us, but it’s going to take awhile.

Save the environment. Let’s not dam our rivers. Again, while the damage incurred over time is not arguable in some cases, what has been something that humans have created that has lasted so long and been so renewable as hydroelectric power?

The real statement here is to look at the greater good by companies’ production versus minimal damages. Who is putting forward the smallest footprint in the best possible manner?

In part, this blog brings to light that the modern newspaper is an industry trying to do its job responsibly in the way of environmental matters. Anyone can mass produce a product with blatant disregard to get the item to market in a manner that is down right destructive.

Newspapers, indeed the local hometown version you read everyday in the Tri-Cities, are trying to minimize the damage while maximizing the benefit to the community.

Newsprint is very seldom produced without a percentage of it being made from recycled pulp. Ink isn’t the petroleum based goo it used to be. Water is recaptured or filtered and treated before being released. All the products possible being used by the workers within the plant are being returned to be reused. This can range from paper clips to plastic drink containers. From aluminum cans to scrap steel. Plastic pallets recycled in place of wood. Cardboard shipping containers, boxes, FedEx shipping packages, manila envelopes, all being sorted and returned to be recycled.

While modern society hasn’t gotten close to creating an unbroken cycle where every item used is completely made from recycled product, we need to be wise enough to realize which companies are trying to be responsible in their production.

It’s kind of tough to point a finger at newspapers and journalism and what it has meant to society and say it’s harmful to the environment, and therefore it should go away.

Is this a perfect production process? No way.

On the flip side there are plenty of companies that have utter disregard when it comes to environmental issues. Keep reading. Maybe we can convince some folks newspapers are not one of those.

-- Ron Buckland is the Herald’s post press department maintenance coordinator and has worked at the paper since 1976.

  Comments  

Videos

This boy can’t use his legs, but he can climb walls

Watch as about 100 shelter dogs are loaded on a plane to Michigan

View More Video

Trending Stories

15 restaurants fail latest Tri-Cities inspections

February 17, 2019 06:19 PM

More snow possible in Tri-Cities this week. Travelers may want to stay home

February 18, 2019 05:35 PM

All Tri-Cities Payless shoe stores now closing

February 18, 2019 12:29 PM

Brother attacks brother coming to Richland mom’s rescue

February 18, 2019 12:41 PM

A Tri-Cities public market would be a winner, but where best to put it bedevils Pasco

February 17, 2019 06:37 PM

Read Next

Living

Hermitage Club puts you in center of private ski resort

By SAMANTHA FEUSS Tribune News Service

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 18, 2019 12:00 AM

The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain is a premiere destination for any New England visitor or local. Southern Vermont is easily accessible, just two hours from Boston and four hours from New York City, and puts you right in the center of the East Coast's only private ski resort. Members enjoy year-round entertainment surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Tri-City Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE LIVING

Religion

Oakland diocese names 45 priests accused of sexual abuse

February 18, 2019 12:00 AM

Living

Moms Gear: Enjoy color-changing umbrella in the snow or the rain

February 18, 2019 12:00 AM

Home & Garden

Surprises and mortgages from the ‘seventh circle of hell’: Things I wish I knew before buying my first home

February 18, 2019 12:00 AM

Living

Game review: ‘Apex Legends,’ fantastic free-to-play battle royale shooter is already a blockbuster

February 18, 2019 12:00 AM

Home & Garden

Interior designer Michelle Dirkse creates one-of-a-kind textiles from local artists’ work

February 18, 2019 12:00 AM

Living

App review: Who Was? Adventure, fun quiz game teaches kids about presidents and other historical figures

February 18, 2019 12:00 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Tri-City Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Digital Solutions
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Contact Us
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story