by Joan Allison, Focus Mid-South Managing Editor
The Focus family of magazines has joined the PrintReleaf program to replace trees that are used to print the magazines. PrintReleaf, which tracks paper use all the way from a mill order to a vendor’s supply chain to print production, gives Focus a count of exactly how much paper is used to print each issue. PrintReleaf then replants trees proportionate to paper use.
Focus Mid-South is printed by Publication Printers (Denver, Colorado), a PrintReleaf Certified Partner. And while the magazine is a new partner in the PrintReleaf program, Focus has already helped one of the program beneficiaries, ‘Trees, Water, People,’ to plant 21 trees. Trees, Water, People is working specifically with the Oglala Lakota Tribe in South Dakota to help replant areas of pine forest that have been mismanaged or are in fire-degraded zones. The 21 trees planted on behalf of Focus will offset the production of 174,993 pages of magazine paper.
“Trees, Water, People’s approach to reforestation involves more than just protecting forests and planting trees,” the group says. “Our reforestation programs focus on establishing and maintaining tree nurseries, educating communities about the positive environmental impacts of reforestation, and strengthening economic development, both through conservation and the responsible management of forest resources. We work with existing local groups, schools, and communities in extremely low-income rural and peri-urban areas to provide guidance on how to plant, graft, and maintain their trees.”
“I’m glad that we are able to give back to our environment” Focus Publisher Ray Rico said, “and help replace the resources we use to bring Focus magazine to our readers.”
In addition to Trees Water and People in the U.S., other reforestation projects are WeForest (Brazil and India), Plant With Purpose (Dominican Republic), NuaTree (Ireland), Eden Projects (Madagascar), and Plant With Purpose (Mexico). Customers like Focus decide where to certifiably reforest their consumption across the network of projects, integrated with World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch platform.
Interested in finding a certified printer for your print projects? Go to https://printreleaf.com/ and click on ‘partners.’ For more information on Focus Mid-South, go to focusmidsouth.com.