Doing green building is very different than the whole specialized world of green business operations. When it comes to green business operations, I’m just like many other companies and I have to take precious overhead time to understand all of the options available. It’s important to me, it’s a core value of being in business for myself, but I still have explore and research and make my best business decision when it comes to the routine business aspects of business, like getting business cards printed.

Last year I waded through some decision making on buying a new laptop and trying to understand the green issues with laptops. Although it was off topic for my own green building design and consulting business, I thought it might be useful for some readers, so I wrote about a few of the resources I discovered in May

This time around I’m looking for business cards. They really are useful little business tools, and I want “green” business cards.

I’ve come up with three areas to evaluate.

1) The paper
2) The printing process
3) The transportation of getting the cards

I live in Oregon, one of the great paper producing states. Yes, we have trees, and we make paper here. I should be able to find Oregon made paper. The trick will be to find Oregon made paper with some balance of post consumer recycled content and also sustainably harvested new pulp. I would bet the paper manufacturers just buy their chips on the open market and it would be too hard to determine the forest of origin. I’m assuming an Oregon manufacturer will likely be getting chips from the Northwest, so that will help reduce the transportation associated with the product.

From living in West Linn (south of Portland) for many years, I know that West Linn Paper was going green 5 years ago, so I looked them up and found they produce a paper line that has both recycled content and new pulb that is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper manufacturer. This means they are buying chip or pulp product that originated from forests and logging operations managed sustainably. I do not know if this criteria interferes with my hope for Oregon/NW wood fiber. I do know we have a few FSC managed forests in the state, and I hope the chips will have come from some of those operations.

The FSC resource gave me a local printer here in Medford
The Mustard Press
I really like what they have to say on their sustainability page.

So now to dig around some on the printing process. This is the part I know the least about. I know that there are petroleum based inks and there are vegetable/soy based inks. There are also printing processes that have less emissions and use less water, but I really don’t know much about this so I started researching to better understand the options. Here’s some of the research sources.

Top 10 Green Printing Practices
CA Top Ten Green Printing Practices
Printing Green: 12 Things You Need to Know

Then one of the those stray internet random finds is more about printing in your own office than professional printing, but this site is a wealth of resources that might be useful to anyone looking to green up their business.
Greener Computing: Three Steps to Green your Office Printing Practices

Okay, getting off track, now I’m out looking for a certification or organization that is reputable and lists ink processes. I found this interesting looking organization that’s saying all the right things:
Sustainable Green Printing Partnership, but despite the fact they provide a list of printers, there is only one in Oregon. The low numbers of participants doesn’t mean it’s fake or wrong, just that it’s probably not a true national standard, yet.

So I google “Oregon soy ink printing 541″ and get more options. Out of the list I’ve spotted PrintFast in Ashland. It’s unclear if they have the paper that I want, but that’s just a phone call to determine.

And honestly, that took me more time than I really wanted to devote to getting new business cards, but it was the right thing to do. I hope that by publishing my investigation, it can help another business cut down on the research time, and just go green.

Here’s the card.

Now off to make some calls and get some cost quotes.

I’ve been working with Jay & Sharon this summer, to design their first home on a piece of property they own in the Cascade Range above Ashland, OR. The exterior of their house will be simple and focus on creating interest with a variety of finishes and textures. I’ve used a one story module with an 8:12 roof pitch, which is butted up next to a two story with a 6:12 roof pitch.

The gable end of the great room faces south and their view down the mountain toward Ashland. Everything is setup to help this house gain heat from the sunshine in the winter. To prevent too much heat gain from the sun streaming in during the summer, we sized the patio overhang to offer shade in during mid summer. That same roof is ideal for solar panels, and that will probably be phase 3 or 4 of construction, but it’s good to envision the total concept now.

South View

Front Door on the West. Solar Panels on the South Facing Roof.

East Elevation

This house has cozy rooms and we utilized the long views through other rooms, to make it all feel more spacious.

The great room and it’s sliding door access to the East.

The view of the kitchen and dining room.

The Loft and it’s peek-a-boo balcony popping out over the great room.

The upstairs master bedroom features a vaulted ceiling and sliding glass door access to a private 2nd story deck.

Downstairs 1008 SF
Upstairs 576 SF
TOTAL 1584 SF

There are still several more details of the passive solar mass heat storage and the framing to work out. Things may change a bit, but the overall arrangement of space and views is settled.

If you’re in the Rogue Valley tune into KCMX 880 AM to learn more about green building. If you’re not in the Rogue Valley you can catch the podcast of the show at http://solive.mypodcast.com/. The live call in number is (541) 772-TALK (8255).

Same phone number and contact information.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Home Power Magazine covers solar, wind, hydro, design, and build articles

Green Source is a McGraw Hill publication

Building Green covers a wide variety of product reviews and building science. It also lists articles and products by CSI number so it’s easier to incorporate back into specifications.

Published by the Cascadia Green Building Council, this magazine covers people and design in the northwest that pushing the cutting edge of the industry.

Sustainable Industries covers green building, green manufacturing (lean manufacturing), and other business topics of sustainability

Please feel free to suggest more resources. I find it’s hard for client or company to choose green, when they are unfamiliar with it, and so these resources are often critical in helping people make decisions to choose green or choose between green options.

Happy Holidays! May your holiday season be filled with good company, merriment, love, and peace.

I’ll be away from the office until Monday December 28.

It’s been a good 2009, and here’s hoping that everyone has an even better 2010!

See you real soon,

Heather McNeill

Today they put the rafters in place. Just a few sticks of wood are nailed together and it feels like a sheltering space. I say that even though it was nearly dark and sleet was coming down from the sky. There is still nothing like standing in the middle of a space that had just been an idea on paper, and is now three dimensions. Now we can walk through doorways, see all the framing for the windows. Its ample enough for a wheelbarrow, for working space, for planters, benches, and even the hammock that Randy and Carol are thinking about buying. They are wonderful gardeners and artists. I can only imagine how this little glass garden temple of salvaged windows will be decorated and overflowing with life by next spring.

And what they don’t know is that everytime I stand in a skeletal framing of a newly hatched building , I remember each fort I built as a kid. I remember being 7 years old watching my Dad and Uncles putting walls in place for the addition to our house. I remember running through that new space imagining all the things we would do there and it was just studs standing awaiting so much more, but there was that joy of really seeing how something that had been drawn, becomes a place we live and work.

It was a great afternoon, freezing sleet and all, standing in a newly framed space is still something hopeful and joyful. Thank you Randy & Carol! I never would have pictured that in a wintry mid November in Central Oregon, we’d be laughing in the sleet, imagining the soon to be planter boxes and hammock, and next springs garden.

Just call if you need anything in the next few days.

I’m thrilled to be working with Batzer Construction in Medford Oregon! We’ll be tackling several big projects during the next year. I’ll be in Medford working with them about half of each month, which is just right to go on helping clients in Bend too.

So the company dog McKenzie, and I will be traveling and I am considering adapting the post office motto “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this company from the swift completion of greening tasks!” I know it will be an adventure during the winter and it’s lucky for me that I love the state of Oregon and getting to see it in all her glorious seasons.

Some of the series is available on Netflix if you don’t get the Sundance Channel.