How Green Is the Green Journal?
Article Outline
The effect of human habitation on the environment of our small planet has become a major topic of discussion in the public media, schools, and governmental organizations.1 Recent comments, a film, and a book by former Vice-President Al Gore, have focused attention on the human element in global warming, making it an issue of major importance worldwide.1 Most authorities agree that human production of carbon dioxide for the nutritional and energy needs of the billions of individuals inhabiting the earth, and the subsequent release of this CO2 into the atmosphere, are contributing factors to the accelerating rate of global warming.1 Although debate continues concerning exactly what percentage of global warming is the result of human activity, major efforts are underway to decrease the global output of carbon dioxide from various sources.
The color green has become associated with approaches that are aimed at reducing the impact of large scale human habitation on our global environment. The American Journal of Medicine has been called “The Green Journal” since its inception more than 50 years ago, so it seems appropriate to ask ourselves “How green are we?,” that is, what efforts, as journal editors and publishers, are we making in order to minimize the impact of our own operations on the environment? Our Tucson office, as well as the Elsevier corporate offices in New York City, recently examined how we are working to minimize our carbon footprint.
Elsevier has set a goal of a 10% reduction in energy and water consumption by the end of 2008, using 2003 as a baseline. A vigorous recycling process also was initiated in 2005 resulting in a more than 10% increase in waste recycling compared with the previous year.2 The company has created “gREen teams” (RE
=Reed Elsevier) to pursue environmental impact in core areas and Environmental Champions have been designated to help create policies aimed at further reductions in environmental impact. Elsevier reports impressive reductions in carbon dioxide production as well as electrical energy and gas use in recent years.2 The company also is developing programs to decrease transportation-related energy consumption.2
In 2007, Elsevier launched a new peer-reviewed journal, the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. This journal is published in association with the Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and is available at www.elsevier.com/locate/ijggc. In addition, Reed Elsevier, in cooperation with Elsevier staff, has recently concluded a carbon and ecological footprint analysis for the Elsevier journal Fuel. More details can be found in the 2007 Reed Elsevier Corporate Responsibility Report at: http://www.investis.com/reports/reed_csr_2007_en/report.php?type=1&zoom=1&page=52ab9f5cecf104f63b9410c2cc912ddf.
Our Tucson office also is working to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. We recycle all paper and cardboard and transport all recyclables to our home recycling bins, because our office complex does not have recycling. We reuse binder clips and file folders from retired manuscripts. All our electronic printers are set to low ink use and double-sided printing. Air conditioning and heating units automatically turn off at the end of the work day. We utilize a flexible work schedule, allowing specific employees to work at home on some days, thereby reducing transportation energy utilization. Our staff uses bicycle and public transportation to minimize utilization of gasoline for commuting. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, all of our correspondence, including manuscript submission and review, is now electronic, thereby obviating the use of paper. Current office practice involves rare use of the postal service. In this manner, the Journal's office in Tucson avoids consuming the thousands of annual reams of paper used by former editorial offices.
Are we currently as green as we could possibly be? The answer is, of course, no. We are interested in techniques that will make us even friendlier to the environment. For example, some of our readers, along with staff members in our office, have been concerned by our use of plastic wrappers for mailing the Journal to readers. We no longer use plastic polyethylene bags to mail the Journal unless there is a second item or package mailing with it. We hope that in the future the Journal will be delivered in an alternative, less resource-demanding method of packaging. Our ultimate goal is to resemble our publisher, Elsevier, and be a model office with respect to our impact on the global environment.
References
PII: S0002-9343(08)00498-1
doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2008.05.012
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
