Green Glossary: Green Ink

In the realm of journalism, the term Green Ink is "supposedly a major identifying characteristic of written correspondence from self-aggrandizing pedants, cranks, charlatans and eccentrics" displaying the following identifying characteristics: stridency, impertinence, unreasonableness, unrealism, fancifulness, and obsessiveness (hmmm...sounds like a global warming denier).

But in the realm of sustainable offices, green ink could refer to what the folks at EcoPrint.com call "standard eco-ink" which is "vegetable oil-based, containing less than 2% volatile organic compounds (VOCs). By using ink that is 98% non-evaporative, polluting emissions are virtually eliminated." EcoPrint also produces a metal-free eco-ink, "specially formulated to be free from environmentally toxic metals like copper and barium."

Another way to green your ink is to recycle your ink or toner cartridges. The California Integrated Waste Management Board explains that if such a cartridge "has been used under normal circumstances until it is empty, it can be managed by one of the following means:

1.Disposing of the container in the trash, or at an appropriate solid waste facility.

2.Shipping the container for reclamation or reuse."

More info can be found at FreeRecycling.com.