Go Green National Geographic

National Geographic is known as a leader in stewardship, so most of their readers would be shocked to learn that:

• They do not use recycled paper in their magazines’ pages.
• They do not specify Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certification to ensure that the fiber is harvested legally and sustainably.
• They use a paper mill that is one the worst polluting mills in the US – on the river that inspired Senator Edmund Muskie to write and pass the Clean Water Act (CWA).

While highly respected and perhaps the inspiration for many in the conservation movement, National Geographic lags far behind other publications that you would expect to be on recycled paper, such as Audubon, National Wildlife, and Mother Earth News, as well as those you wouldn’t necessarily expect, like Motorcycle Classics, Fast Company, and Shape.

In order to solve the problems they created, National Geographic shouldpartner with its paper company, Verso, to do the following:

1. Ensure the paper mill uses technology that will dramatically reduce pollution into Maine’s river;
2. End its virgin fiber addiction by beginning to use recycled paper in their magazines;
3. Source fiber responsibly by eliminating and prohibiting the use of any fiber coming from controversial sources such as endangered, high conservation value forests
4. Make a commitment to the planet by creating a “best-in-class” procurement policy that guides its continual environmental improvements over time.

We are demonstrating support from key constituencies such as students, subscribers, faculty with a professional connection to National Geographic, and campus magazines that use recycled paper. By educating and mobilizing students, subscribers, and faculty through our grassroots and visibility tactics, we will demonstrate to National Geographic that its readers are angry that the magazine doesn’t Practice What It Prints!