Control Engineering

Peter Welander

Paper made by wind power
December 27, 2007

Over my career, I've never been far from the graphic arts industries, and when I bought some paper last week to make Christmas cards, I noticed something interesting.

(By the way, strictly speaking, the Christmas season is technically the period between the end of the last service on the fourth Sunday of Advent and January 6. Procrastinators agree sending cards any earlier than that should be unlawful.)

I bought some Strathmore paper and noticed two things: Strathmore is now owned by Mohawk (which happened when I wasn't paying attention) and there is an interesting little note on their wrappers that says their paper is made by wind power. That got my attention.

According to the Mohawk Website, the company now has a carbon neutral production policy, including the way it purchases electricity:

"Since 2003 Mohawk has been a leader in the support of emission–free, renewable energy. In addition to voluntarily capping emissions and making significant investments to reduce energy and emissions, Mohawk is one of the top 25 largest purchasers of wind-generated electricity among manufacturing companies in the U.S. On June 1, 2007, Mohawk Fine Papers increased its purchase of wind–generated electricity RECs from 60,000,000 kWh to 100,000,000 kWh annually. This is 100% of the electric power required for all of Mohawk’s operations in its New York and Ohio facilities."

It's encouraging to see a paper company taking this position, given that the paper industry has not exactly been known historically as the most ecologically responsible. Much has changed in that business, and taking environmental leadership in this manner is a major step.

Take the Energy IQ Quiz on our Website. There are several questions about wind power. You're going to see a lot more of it in the very near future.

Posted by Peter Welander on December 27, 2007 | Comments (1)