Behind the Industry’s Push for ‘Responsible Paper Use’
There was a time when it was acceptable for child laborers in the United States to make products, and fortunately we evolved past that short-sightedness. Hopefully in the not-too-distant future we, as an industry, will look back at our shift in perception and remember when we joined forces to commit to shared principles of stewardship and accountability and how it felt to succeed.”
—Rudy Shur, president, Square One Publishers
The Time to Act is Now
“In the last two decades, it has become evident to all but the most recalcitrant of skeptics … that our planet’s climate is changing and that the results will be far-reaching and potentially devastating. We can no longer isolate ourselves from the consequences of our resource consumption, and hope that somebody else will make the tough decisions for us and make climate change go away. We can no longer afford to hope that no one will be affected by what we do—that our impact is too small or our efforts too limited. We have to change our ways and change them now.
When we think about climate change, and energy and resource use, however, it’s easy to think of problems [that would prevent us from changing our ways]. … I like to concentrate on positive steps, which, even though they may not be perfect, nonetheless take us in the right direction.
The treatise is one such positive step. It offers a vision of the future where the book publishing industry is making a difference… challenging itself and the people who read our books to recognize that the knowledge and entertainment we get from them are only available to us if we have a viable world to live in.
There will continue to be those who will find excuses to avoid making the right choices. … But we don’t have the time to listen to them. We must do what we can, and do it now, and the treatise is an excellent start.”
