Two words: cat blogs. Just kidding. It’s one word and it’s Paperchase. Yes. I love Paperchase. Aisle upon aisle of brightly coloured, super organised, shiny, lovely stationary.
Sometimes I justify my love for stationary products, the same way any addict would do. I think about the 150,000 some odd trees I’ve planted in my uni summers. (It doesn’t matter that the contract that we planted for was Kimberly Clark and all those trees will become toilet paper, not nice notebooks ..) I also think about all the good stuff that graces the pages of the virgin-paper notepads I like writing in. All of the ideas and actions and planet saving work I do in my job must offset those 50 little pages of chopped down trees, right? Sadly I know it’s not the case.
As a present from my friends at Do The Green Thing, I was given this note pad.
You see they know all about my addiction and saw this as a corrective measure. And I’m pleased to say that it has tipped me over the edge.
I don’t expect paperchase and other stationary suppliers to go all eco overnight, so until then I can:
A) invest in recycled paper stationary which can be very beautiful and highly practical (and not have a shouty, worthy message on the front cover)
Exhibit A:
(A very nice notebook from Enlighted Crafts. 100% recycled paper and cotton. The Green Desk also has some nice stuff and I’ve recently come across Greenvelopes, an american startup that makes nice reusable and durable envelopes.)
B) still shop at paperchase but only buy stationary that doesn’t pillage forests (of which they do have!)
C) make my own.
Exhibit C:
(To do lists formed by old scrap paper and the ring from a binder)
Exhibit D:
(Envelopes made from old calendars/magazines/any thick material)
I really do love Paperchase but this is one of those habits that a small does of creativity can fix.
