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What is the greenest paper?

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I'm trying to find materials to make invitations for a party we are having in the summer to celebrate our marriage earlier in the year.

I wanted initially to make the invitations from seed paper that can be planted but this is looking like it would be far too expensive. I've looked at card blanks made from recycled paper but I don't understand it - they say things like 25 - 100 % recycled, what does that mean :confused:

I have also seen paper/card made from other things such as grass cuttings and even elephant poo! amongst other things. But it seems quite difficult to get envelopes made of the same stuff.

Can someone explain to me what is the greenest thing to use (I know that not sending the invitations is the greenest thing to do) and maybe a couple of options because I am quite tied as to how much I can spend.

Also, how bad are photographs? I was hoping to include a photo of us getting married (it's a secret so noone will know about it until they open the invitation) how bad is photo printing. I would like to think that the photo's will be kept and not thrown away.

Sorry for all the questions - I thought that an ethical wedding would be a doddle, everything else seems to have been simple choices that were easy to make but the invitation stuff is doing my head in and I really need to get it sorted out soon!
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Comments

  • Just a quick update - I've looked into the elephant poo paper a bit more and they actually sell card packs (10 cards and 10 envelopes) so at the moment this is looking like the favourite at the moment. The paper is made from the elephant poo (from Sri Lanka and fairly traded) and mixed with 100% recycled paper and produced at a family run, independent mill in this country.

    I'm not going to order them until tomorrow so if anyone comes up with a better idea please let me know.

    I'd still be really interested in your thoughts on including photographs.
  • kaya
    kaya Posts: 2,465 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    hemp paper uses no chemicals to grow, helps absorb co2 and lasts 10 times as long as wood pulp paper, but ellie-poo paper is a pretty cool idea
  • Thanks kaya, I'll look into hemp paper this evening.

    I am liking the idea of the ellie-poo cards, I wanted to write at the bottom of the invitation 'THIS CARD IS MADE FROM ELEPHANT POO!!' - I would love to see my future MIL's face when she read it!
  • navig8r
    navig8r Posts: 553 Forumite
    How green is something that has travelled half way around the world??

    Dave
  • For me it is a difficult one. Yes something that is transported a great distance is not very green. It is however ethical in as much that it is fairly traded and provides employment and income to the locals there. 5% of their profits go to training and educating the locals and they have green globe 21 approval.

    Also they use a small independent papermill that works with local schools and is starting to welcome school groups and link in with the curriculum.

    I might actually have a go at making my own seed paper as someone on the green fingered moneysaving board has suggested it...not sure whether I'll mess it up though!
  • I should also say Dave that I did ask for the greenest paper and I'm now talking about ethical stuff so sorry for that - I'm even confusing myself!
  • navig8r
    navig8r Posts: 553 Forumite
    What about some Diy paper? http://www.ukcraftfairs.com/guide-to-making-paper.asp .

    Dave
  • Thanks Dave, this is the link that Emmysmum posted on the greenfingered board:-

    http://urbandebris.typepad.com/urban_debris_journal/2006/05/how_to_make_see.html

    She has assured me that she managed to make paper with a 3 year old and a 5 year old so I think that I am going to have a go at it!

    This is the other thread I started for ideas about seeds to go in the invitations:-

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=380825

    I'll do a bit more googling later on making paper and see if I can get some of the bits I will need from freecycle.
  • sorry a bit random but looking at the instructions for seed paper - surely cooking it at 250 degrees to dry it out would destroy the seeds so they wouldn't germinate?! not sure but worth a thought?
  • Justie
    Justie Posts: 1,768 Forumite
    just a tip - if you're going to print the cards do a small batch first as different 'green' papers absorb ink differently so you may find that ink bleeds a lot. Hemp is a good green paper as it's easily renewable and isn't bleached etc. There's also a company in Wales somewhere that does sheep poo paper if you want poo paper more locally... oh here found it http://www.creativepaperwales.co.uk/

    The most green would be to reuse paper that's only been printed on one side but that's probably not the look you're after in this case...

    as for photos they're not particularly green but I think it's unlikely you'd be able to get good quality prints on 'green' paper so you may be better off ordering commercial prints this once.
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