Earth Greetings - Gift Card

Our Price: $2.25
Size: 95mm x 95mm
Ingredients: 100% recycled paper and vegetable inks

Available in Bird Garden (top left), Secret Garden (middle) and Butterfly Garden (bottom right).

"When Earth Greetings was born 2003, the highest post-consumer waste content card stock available in Australia was only 50% recycled, 50% plantation forest fibre. The printer (and the paper importer) were full of reassurance, this is the most "earth friendly" stock available, produced at a mill with numerous environmental accreditations. It seemed as if I wouldnt reach my ideal this time of printing on 100% recycled paper yet, as this was simply not available!

Every day, the major Australian greeting card manufacturers produce around 100,000 greeting cards. Unfortunately price remains a barrier to commercial use of recycled stocks, which are often more than twice the price of a virgin fibre stock. This is probably why, to the best of my knowledge, these cards are still printed using virgin fibre paper. I had to compromise my ideal in order to present a better alternative!

Thankfully, things are changing for the better (albeit way too slowly) and I believe consumer concern about the environment is driving this change. Clients ask questions, pressure is put on graphic designers to source earth friendly stocks and they ask their printers who ask their paper supplers. This may have resulted in stocks now available with a higher recycled content (I have in 2005 been able to source a commercially printable 100% recycled stock with 65% post consumer waste content) as well as some changes to production practices to keep within legal Environmental Protection Authority limits, however the environmental destruction remains.

The trees that allow us to breathe are dissappearing fast. Our water and atmosphere is being polluted with poisons. Our wildlife is losing its home. If we as consumers refuse to use products that cause this level of destruction the manufactures will be forced to use alternative methods. We are not helpless. Research, read labels and remember its the only Earth we have.

My mission is to continue to research paper alternatives as they arise, and to present modern and unique designs in the most earth friendly ways possible!"

Heide Hackworth - Creative Director of Earth Greetings