FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 20, 2009
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Robert Brai, Production Director
SECAUCUS, N.J. – Beginning January 2009, all of Northstar Travel Media’s publications are being printed on FSC certified paper. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification is unique in that it requires all parties in the chain-of-custody (paper mill, paper merchant, publisher and printer) to be certified. Northstar is one of only a few publishers to actually achieve FSC certification (registration code SW-COC-002335). “Being FSC certified allows Northstar to purchase its own paper and promote its use of FSC products with FSC and Rainforest Alliance trademarks and seals,” said Robert Brai, Northstar’s Production Director. “We have been certified since 2007 and moved our first title, Meetings & Conventions (M&C), to FSC certified paper that year." Northstar partnered with Lindenmeyr Central and Leipa Georg Leinfelder GMBH (Leipa) in the decision to use Leipa’s paper products UltraMag and UltraLux containing 80% post-consumer waste. “The Leipa product allows Northstar to maximize the recycled paper content and avoid any negative impact to our paper costs,” said Brai. “Every responsible company is reviewing its practices that have an impact on the environment,” said Arnie Weissmann, vice president and editor in chief of Travel Weekly, the national newspaper of the travel industry. “This is part of our commitment to being good corporate citizens.” “We’re very pleased to be able to make this change,” said Kenneth Shapiro, editor in chief ofTravelAge West. “It’s extremely gratifying to see the travel industry as a whole become more environmentally sensitive. And we’re proud to be a small part of that important change.” “TravelAge West continues to take on new initiatives to make the publishing process more environmentally friendly,” said publisher Michelle Rosenberg. “We’ve also recently launched a digital edition of the print magazine so that readers can choose how they want to receive our publication.” “The meetings and hospitality industries are embracing green initiatives,” said M&C’s editor in chief, Lori Cioffi. “Those are the industries we cover in our magazine, and we felt it was important for us to do our part, too.”
As calculated by Environmental Defense (www.environmentaldefense.org), Northstar’s switch to the Leipa paper, on an annual basis, will save 3,693 trees and result in 8.8 billion fewer BTUs of total energy, 5 million gallons less of wastewater and 3 million fewer pounds of CO2 greenhouse gases. Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator.
For more information, visit http://www.papercalculator.org.
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Northstar Travel Media is a worldwide provider of information, news and data for the travel and hospitality industry. Its portfolio of periodicals and destination information services includes Travel Weekly, Travel Weekly’s Hotel and Travel Index Worldwide, BTP24, M&C’s Official Meeting Facilities Guide, Intelliguide Corporate, STAR Service Online, Weissmann Reports, TravelAge West, Meetings and Conventions and T&E.
