Paper change

MANILA, Philippines - With climate change on top of the world’s agenda, it comes as no surprise that the public is increasingly being called upon to do their share to mitigate the effects of this major problem.

Ecothings, a new environmental group that specializes in eco-printed products, vows to make significant contributions to the campaign to save the environment, starting with its unique project Make Your Own Notebook held recently at the Rockwell Club in Makati City.

During the activity facilitated by art school Creative Kids and conducted in observance of Earth Day 2011, stylish notebooks were created by participants by mixing and matching pages of post-consumer recycled paper. Guests were able to personalize notebook covers with a variety of art materials and recycled items, including buttons and ribbons.

Around 150 people participated in the Make Your Own Notebook program, the youngest artist being just two years old. Most of the participants were kids, but there were also teens and adults. Some parents who accompanied their kids couldn’t resist designing, too, proving that the event was both for the young and old alike, says Ecothings’ Judy Malabanan.

“We asked guests to take inspiration from nature when they were designing their notebooks. Their outputs are so nice that we are considering using some of them as covers of our next line of notebooks,” Judy shares.

She says the objectives of the event were to raise awareness about the environment and the benefits of using recycled paper. “We at Ecothings are driven by our passion to protect and conserve the planet,” Judy says.

“The papers used in the Make Your Own Notebook were eco-friendly 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. The colors came from soya ink, and we even used water-based glue. The papers were bound together with a metal wire ring that is fully recyclable,” Judy adds.

“I talked to one guest who said it was a great bonding activity for his family, and a great opportunity to learn about the environment.”

Alexa Villano, STAR employee who joined the event, found the activity fulfilling as it brought out the participants’ creative juices while doing something good for the environment.

A little girl designs her own notebook at the Make Your Own Notebook event organized by Ecothings. AC Dimatatac

Ecothings president Yvonne Castro says, “By using recycled materials, you save trees from being cut to make paper and you do your share in conserving precious water and energy. I encourage everyone to make a simple lifestyle switch by patronizing products made from recycled paper.”

Because of the positive turnout of this initial project, Ecothings held another Make Your Own Notebook project yesterday at Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

A portion of the proceeds from all the notebooks sold during the recent activities went to Greenpeace to support their work for a clean future.

“Climate change is an important issue that many people still try to ignore. But obviously, we are already feeling its effects. The weird and extreme changing weather is just one example,” says Judy.

“To many, climate change seems like too big a problem to solve, but we at Ecothings believe that simple, collective efforts will make a big difference. During the Make Your Own Notebook event, we used about 4,000 sheets of recycled paper. That‚’s saving half a tree in just one afternoon. You may say that’s just half a tree. But you’d still have to cut down one tree to get half a tree. So, in the end, it means a lot‚” she says.

“Be mindful of your use of paper. You don’t even have to use recycled paper every time. You can use the back page of a sheet of paper for taking down notes and print only when necessary,” shares Judy.

She was quick to point out that there are many ways to fight climate change, such as complex and wide-ranging solutions like legislation.

“But there are other ways, like changing the mindset of the people, sending the green message through art, just like what we are doing,” Judy says.

Certainly, change for the better can be achieved – even with one sheet of paper at a time.