Features

Silver Spring printing company goes neutral

by Ivy Farguheson
Photos by Julie Wiatt

Let's say that you are an environmentally conscious individual, interested in finding local businesses that believe as you do.   You want to spend your money without feeling guilty about it, but you're unaware of where to go.   You may work for a non-profit or any number of progressive businesses and organizations that wish to do a large mailing or printing, but you're not interested in using toxic materials or working with a company that doesn't match your beliefs.   Could you find a company to match your ideals and still provide quality services?   If so, is that company local?   The answer is to both questions is yes; Ecoprint may be exactly what you need.

Owned by Roger Telschow, Ecoprint is a printing service company with environmental issues at its core. They do use recycled paper for their services, but they go much, much further.   They run on 100 percent wind powered energy (made possible by Washington Gas Energy Services), have removed alcohol and alcohol substitutes from their presses, use the least toxic ink solvents, and turn off lighting in areas that are not in use.   They are also the only American printing company that is 100 percent carbon neutral.   Despite the changes that they have made, Telschow is aware that they are not 100 percent able to prevent all carbon emissions into the air, due to gas heating and the need to drive from location to location for work.  

What allows them to make the claim that they are carbon neutral is their ability to purchase Renewable Energy Credits (REC).   Ecoprint, like many companies, is unable to fully be carbon neutral on their own, but they are able to purchase these RECs, where 1 Kilowatt hour (kwh) of an REC can remove the equivalent of 1.2 pounds/kwh of carbon dioxide from the environment.   In other words, in order to offset the carbon they are emitting, Ecoprint purchases these RECs, causing their net carbon output to be zero.  

Telschow is not satisfied with that, however.   His future goals are to have his company move along into carbon sequestration, providing for carbon to be removed from the air, as would be the case with tree-planting.  

When asked why other companies may not be doing what he is at Ecoprint, Telschow was very clear in expressing that "it is hard to run a business." Dealing with the day-to-day issues stemming from government policies, labor issues, and others, would keep people focused on managing their businesses as opposed to making grand environmental changes.   For this reason, companies need to "have an obligation to see what effect you have on the environment," Telschow states.   The benefits that can come a company's way by making changes are plenty.   "You attract people to work for you who care.... Clients like to work with what they believe in, and if you do this (environmental work) systematically, you don't have to worry about the government regulations."

Despite having to deal with the day-to-day, Telschow manages a very impressive ship.   The company, which he has run for 29 years, 22 of them at the same spot on Fraser Avenue in Silver Spring, has made a profit every year of its existence.   They have a no lay-off policy, meaning that if the company is in a position where it needs to make some financial changes, Telschow's pay is cut first, allowing for others to keep their jobs.   The costs to maintain the carbon neutral status are minimal, also.   He states that they spend about one percent of their sales per year on the wind energy while saving two percent or so due to lower electricity costs, prevented paper waste, and his employees becoming more aware of conservation.   All of this proves to Telschow that "sustainability is more profitable."

When asked to respond to those who believe that global warming, as an issue, is not truly "man-made," he responded that "I honor their right to feel the way they do, but they are in for a rude awakening."   He continued, "If you take global warming completely out of the equation, it would still be compelling to do the things that we're doing because the other effects are justified.   Energy independence can justify what we're doing.   It can be done without dire consequences and it will make us a healthier nation."

Ecoprint has been on the cutting edge in environmental changes for nearly 30 years and Telschow hopes they will be around much longer.   "We have been a model to the industry and that's a good thing."   Hopefully, it will continue to be a good thing for many years to come.

To find out
more about
Ecoprint, visit
www.ecoprint.com.

No comments have been posted to this article.

Want to post a comment to this article? Click here.