This is the time of year when many of us review what we have accomplished and set goals for the new year.  For Christmas I received a Business Calendar from Polestar, located in Slocan Valley, British Columbia.  My calendar was printed on 100% post-consumer recycled off-white text paper, processed chlorine- and acid-free, using vegetable-based inks.

After having a look through it, I really like it and look forward to using it over the year. At the beginning of each month, there is a page with Goals & Objectives, To Do This Month, and New Projects/Ideas. Then, each week, there is a space to write in meetings, deadlines, work as well as space for weekly correspondence and a weekly to do list. For more information, check out Polestar Business Calendar.

If you are looking for a more family or school oriented calendar, they have them as well. You can order them online or go to their website for a list of stores in your area where you can find them.

I know, there are many online alternatives that would eliminate my need for a paper version but I am just not there and may never get there. It’s not that I don’t use them. I do. My online calendar lists all of my life’s activities, including my children’s current athletic adventures, family appointments, school events, work, and the list goes on. I find I need a separate calendar just for work so that I can focus my attention where it needs to be.

If you are like me and still need to hang on to one paper based calendar, then Polestar is a great option. Not only are they a fabulous Canadian success story, they are an ethical business and they have put a great deal of time into making calendars that really work.

Welcome back to school! As we stock pile supplies, lined paper will be high on the lists for note taking as will printer paper for printing off all that Internet research students are doing these days.

Before we fill up on paper at the local big box office supply store, let’s sit back for a moment and think about ways to reduce the amount of paper we will use this year. Schools, tight on money, could also reduce their paper use, saving precious paper and money. Here are some suggestions

• Take notes on your computer whenever possible and only print them out when absolutely necessary.
• Rethink the hard copy. If your child is researching on the web, does she really need to print out everything she finds? Encourage your kids to read it online and bookmark it for future use.
• It may seem obvious, but run a spell check and use the preview feature before printing so that you reduce the number of drafts that you print out.
• If the teacher is in the habit of handing out singled sided worksheets, have your child use the other side for note taking.
• Ask your child’s teacher to email you notices home rather than sending all those duplicate paper copies that never make it home, although I must say my kids make great paper airplanes.
• If the school administration send newsletters home, ask them to email them and/or put them up on the school website, if available.
• If they must send out paper copies, encourage them to send only one copy to each household instead of each child. This may take a bit of organization at the beginning of the year but will pay off.
• Ask your school to encourage teachers to use both sides of the paper, instead of single sided handouts this year.
• If your child’s school does not have a paper recycling program, start one. If the school has one but you still see lots of paper in the garbage, work with the school to improve the percentage of paper that goes into the recycle bins vs. the garbage bins.

How much paper does Canada use anyway, and what effects does this have on our lives: what is the cost? Here are some paper facts to consider.

• Canada uses 7,476 metric tons of paper and paper board products each year, which puts us in the top ten paper product consuming countries in the world.
• BC is home to one quarter of the world’s remaining ancient temperate rainforests, which now cover only 0.2% of the the world’s land surface. This makes them the most endangered type of forest in the world.
• 90% of logging in BC happens in ancient forests with 40% of felled trees becoming paper. The rate of forest destruction is one of the main reasons that one of of eight animals species in BC is at risk of extinction.

For every collective ton of 100% post consumer paper we use, we together save 24 trees and 7000 gallons of water. Start by reducing your paper needs by reusing paper as much as possible.

So when you are out shopping choose the paper with the highest content of post consumer waste. I know that 100% post consumer paper is near impossible to find so if you can’t find it, don’t be surprised. Just buy the best choice you can and use paper wisely.

Have a good school year!