Oldest Newspaper In The World To Stop Killing Trees
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.30.06
Via Financial Times:- After several years of deliberation, what is reportedly the world's oldest newspaper has decided that it will publish only digitally. No more Boreal Forest pulp needed, thank you very much. Indeed, the World Association of Newspapers has deemed the world's oldest newspaper (formed 1645), to be the Post-och Inrikes Tidningar of Sweden. Although we can't read Swedish, it appears that the site where the digital version will reside is here . Could this be the destiny of many more newspapers around the world? If so, will we then be burning wood chips to make enough electricity to read them online? Sweden does, after all, have a reputation for doing things green with gusto, as if it were the California of the world. Image credit: Johannes Hjorth (an image apparently based on a practical joke).
I find this to be very interesting and positive news. I hope more follow suit.
did you try clicking on "English Version" up at the top of the page where you got the photo?
FTLNewsFeed
"If so, will we then be burning wood chips to make enough electricity to read them online?"
OK, if I'm just looking into this too much, then I'm sorry...but it seems to me that a lot of articles on here, when presenting great news, actively look for how it might backfire or some how end up screwing us in the end. There seems to be a healthy streak of defeatism in the current enviromental movement.
"Ohhh come on guys! We just want to save the world...ahh no one will listen....."
I say progress is progress and even if it is a little step, they all add up to a better future. Ok that's the end of my rant.
Aaron
It's funny, Aaron, just before I read your comment I was going to ask "So, will these digital papers be powered by green energy?"
I understand your frustration, definitely. But on the flip side, well..."Green" has become a big word in the past year and that's GREAT...but now that so many companies and products and such are claiming the name and there's not much regulation or certification going on, it seems, sometimes it's hard to really know what you're using or buying and how green those things really are. I think it is important to remain skeptical (and optimistic too, if that's how you lean) when encountering new technologies and things. So yeah, of course, progress is progress. Good.
But my question remains...
Even though this may be news to you, this approach, to commendable, is not based on the actual footprint that digitial distribution represents to our ecology. With ewaste growing, through unbridled technical obsolescene of relatively new devices, to the toxic materials impact from the manufacturing of digital electronics, this is a wash at best. Solution ought to be considered for using recylced newsprint, which is made from post consumer content.
Well I like my Newspaper The Way It Is Sorry Can't we just RECYCLE? Now Aint This A Good Question?
I'm with the Tree Huggers.