Eco Friendly Greeting Cards, Stationary and Planning Systems

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Environmental-Friendly and Economy Friendly

Caring for the environment is a top priority with our products.. While using high-grade recycled paper increases our costs, Brook has a strong commitment to providing value through her work and believes choosing to use the less expensive, non eco-friendly papers do not support Making Today Matter. In addition Brook has hand chosen suppliers whose products are 100% made in the USA. While many companies have chosen to outsource products to the far East or establish plants to drastically reduce costs, this has and will continue to impact the economy. It is Brook's hope that more and more consumers will observe where products are manufactured and support US workers.

Here is a quick guide to the product symbols you will see throughout the site.

FSC Certification: Ensures that the paper meets the Forest Stewardship Council's standards for responsible forest management. Certified by SmartWood, a program for the Rainforest Alliance.

Chlorine Free Certification: The Chlorine Free Products Association certification attests that 100% post consumer recycled papers are manufactured without the use of chlorine chemistry and are made from sustainable raw materials.

Green Seal Certification: Certifies that all these papers A. manufactured with a minimum of 30% post consumer waste (PCW), or B. manufactured without chlorine or chlorine derivatives

Recycled paper is considered less harmful to the environment because less virgin fiber is used, thereby reducing tree harvesting, water usage, energy consumption, emission of greenhouse gases and pollution.

Why Recycled paper?
Using recycled paper saves energy, reduces water pollution, reduces landfill usage and of course reduces the number of trees harvested to make paper. Some perspectives on the benefits of recycled paper:

Typically, every ton of recycled paper saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.
In 2006, 53.4 % of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. This is equal to 53.5 million tons of paper.
Paper fiber can be recycled 3 to 4 times - so using recycled paper ensures we get the most out of our virgin fiber harvests. Remember we need newer paper as well to create recycled paper.
It is estimated that recycled paper uses 40% less energy and 60% less water than virgin fiber paper.

The difference between Pre and Post-Consumer fiber

Post consumer waste is paper recovered mainly from local recycling programs after consumers have used the paper.

Pre-consumer waste is paper fiber is recovered from manufacturing waste, prior to consumer use. This paper has an equal landfill and water savings and a higher energy savings considering the lower energy cost to collect and return this fiber to a paper mill for recycling.

Virgin fiber, Post consumer waste and Pre Consumer waste all hold important positions in the recycled paper chain.