April 19, 2021

|

Planted in

Seeing the paper and the trees!

We love an obvious link between the things we consume and the ways we can offset our consumption. And could there be anything simpler than planting trees to make up for the paper we use? Newington College in NSW has decided to apply this elegant solution to its 2020 paper usage.

TREES PLANTED

90

We love an obvious link between the things we consume and the ways we can offset our consumption. And could there be anything simpler than planting trees to make up for the paper we use? Newington College in NSW has decided to apply this elegant solution to its 2020 paper usage. This thoughtful school has recently purchased 90 trees from Fifteen Trees, in recognition of the fact that its unavoidable use of paper has an environmental impact.

 

 

Calculating the carbon footprint of paper use is not as straightforward as working out how many trees go into a box of paper (approximately one per ten ream/5000 sheet box). It’s important to take into account carbon dioxide emissions from manufacturing, transport through several different distribution points, right down to the use of the photocopier at the back end. Because of all this, we encourage offices to allow five trees per box.

 

Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Group.

 

Newington College’s trees have been planted by the Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Group in Western Victoria. One of its recent projects is to work with local wildlife rescues to breed and release native species that have disappeared due to deforestation and development. Creating habitat for species like the Squirrel Glider, possibly the cutest animal to ever exist, and the Rufus Bettong, also ridiculously adorable, involves careful land management and expert input into the trees planted to enhance it.

 

Squirrel glider.

 

As well as directly planting trees, we also encourage anyone who uses paper in their place of work to take the Ethical Paper Pledge at https://ethicalpaper.com.au By pledging to only use sustainable paper for copying, and by avoiding those brands who source their paper form native forests (including Reflex, Opal and Nippon) we can all help reduce the root cause of habitat destruction – irresponsible over-consumption.

Big thumbs up to Newington College staff and students for identifying a way to make a difference and following through!

To find out how we can help you reduce the carbon footprint of your office contact Melinda <[email protected]>.

 

Writer – Sarah Hart.

Sarah is an artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form. You can find Sarah here.

 

RECENT TREE PLANTINGS

320 TREES PLANTED

June 22, 2025
We cannot do without trees nor bees. Ana and Sven from Amber Drop Honey, recognise that we are all interconnected, and that there is no future in taking without giving back.

3583 TREES PLANTED

June 20, 2025
According to Sustainability Victoria, the average Australian lifestyle produces 15,000kg of carbon per year. If that sounds like a lot, it is! Over its lifetime, a tree can collect and store 268kg. This means, we each need to plant 58 trees per year to bring our individual carbon production down to zero. A little tricky for most of us to do in our own backyards, and this is where ‘A Subscription for the Planet’ comes in.

1665 TREES PLANTED

June 20, 2025
Furnx is taking proactive steps each day and planning into the future, to ensure their company is part of a circular economy. Reducing waste and consumption of resources, and increasing recycling and reuse of materials is top of mind in every business decision they make, contributing to a more sustainable world. And now they are planting trees!