Backpacker Magazine Becomes the First Carbon Neutral Publication
We started by documenting every facet of their printing, production, and distribution. We counted every pound of paper, trucking to 20,000 newsstands, air travel for writers and sales reps, and therms of energy used to heat their offices. Here’s what we found out about each issue:
So, we came up with a plan to cut their footprint by 12% and invest in verified offsets to make Backpacker Magazine carbon-neutral. Here’s a summary of the top actions:
1. Paper cuts
For years, Backpacker has been printed on 10% recycled stock. They switched to a lighter-weight recycled stock that drops their paper use by 150,282 pounds a year. Second, they moved their regional pages to the web, cutting another 218,640 pounds.
2. Digital editions
After their Global Warming Issue, a number of eco-minded readers requested digital copies of Backpacker as an alternative to their print subscriptions. So they partnered with Zinio to make complete digital editions available online.
3. Quality offsets
What they couldn’t change at this time, they decided to offset. All offsets meet the strictest criteria: direct, additional, positive, and verifiable.
4. Waste reductions
Backpacker's headquarters in Boulder is becoming a zero-waste facility. They’ve also swapped bulbs, moved to 100% recycled supplies, turned down the heat, and developed a mostly paperless workflow.
5. Commuting goals
Their staff have committed to ride, walk, or bus to work at least 25,000 miles in 2008.
6. Watchdog
They’ve become a charter member of an outdoor industry group working to establish benchmarks for footprinting hiking and camping products. Plus, they are blogging about sustainable gear and DIY solutions.
To find out more about how they did it -- and how we can do the same for your company, please contact us.
