Editorial

Lean and ‘green’

The Forest Grove News-Times, Jan 14, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

This newspaper, just like its readers and advertisers, is examining every dollar we spend. For us, newsprint is also our fifth largest cost of doing business – behind payroll, benefits, the actual cost of printing and our distribution expenses.

That’s why your News-Times this week takes on a bit different form: each page is one half of an inch narrower while being the same height.

This change will require us to trim a few words from each story (though we’ve gained back some space through design changes). But we believe this is a prudent decision both in terms of both economics and the environment.

Like most papers, our newsprint comes from pulp made from recycled paper, as well as wood waste products such as sawdust and fiber. But being sustainable as a newspaper is not just about how much fiber and pulp you use, but also the electricity, water and chemicals used in manufacturing the paper we print on.

In the case of the News-Times, our slimmer pages will save more than a ton and half of newsprint each year - thereby reducing our imprint on the environment. And in terms of the economy, the savings from using less paper will allow us to best focus our financial resources on publishing a great newspaper and also investing in our community.

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