I'm pleased to announce the addition of a new portfolio at the CMC - the
environment committee, for which I am chair. One of the things on our
agenda is to include an environmental publishing section by Markets
Initiative in our newsletter. The March 2006 issue of Print Action calls
'Markets Initiative one of the most powerful environmental forces affecting
the printing and publishing world'. So without further ado, here is their
introduction. - Tuppy Blair, Circulation Director, CCMC.

Some of you may have heard grumbling around the industry about an
environmental group from Vancouver working with publishers on environmental
purchasing policies. And some of you may know us very well having met with
me.

For those of you unfamiliar with us, Markets Initiative is coalition project
of Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter and
Greenpeace Canada. We were founded in 1999 to protect the world's ancient
and endangered forests and biodiversity by shifting corporate demand - and
use - to ecologically sustainable paper products and increase paper
efficiencies.

Our role in this world is to shift consumption patterns of industrial paper
consumers so that their purchases do not deplete the world's remaining
ancient and endangered forests such as Canada's Boreal, temperate
rainforests and the tropical forests. We work with companies to shift the
demand for paper products to sustainable options. And if those options do
not currently exist we work collaboratively with major paper purchasers and
the entire supply chain to create the demand that brings alternatives into
existence.

This is not a dream. This is what we are already doing and what we will
continue to do until ancient and endangered forests are no longer threatened
by the demand for paper products.

Today, because of our efforts, over 150 Canadian publishers have switched to
printing up to 95% of their publications on Ancient Forest Friendly or
eco-friendly paper. We have worked with these book and magazine publishers
to leverage their commitment throughout the paper supply chain, right back
to the logging companies. We have mentored similar projects in nine other
countries and in 2005 we began work with the Canadian newspaper sector.

We translate good will into good action, with tangible ecological savings -
of forest biodiversity, of water and of energy.

Markets Initiative has the confidence that if we develop the pathway to
shift major paper users to Ancient Forest Friendly paper and paper
efficiency - they will walk the way, blazing the trail themselves if needs
be, with us as a guide. We are being proven right.

To date 57 Canadian magazines, 85 Canadian book publishers, and 1 printer
have formalized and begun implementing Ancient Forest Friendly and
eco-friendly policies. More than 192,000 trees have been saved as a result
of our work.

To access the market for ancient forest and eco friendly paper generated by
our work, Canadian mills have begun manufacturing 12 new papers that fit our
environmental criteria. US mills are following suit.

This spring 7 magazines have switched or are switching to Ancient Forest
Friendly glossy paper. I send kudos to the team at explore magazine for
being the first and showing others the way.

To find out how you can be part of the growing trend in Ancient Forest
Friendly publishing, call or email me at 604-817-4974 or
neva@marketsinitiaive.org.

And stay tuned for future columns which will address forest facts, Ancient
Forest Friendly and environmentally improved paper options, and ways you can
use a switch to environmentally improved paper to boost circulation. We are
also creating a media section in which to post news and press releases about
recent success. Please go to www.circ.org to have a look.

I look forward to working with you.

-Neva Murtha, Magazine Campaigner