March 2011, BRATTLEBORO, VT — Howard Printing, Inc., a local commercial printing company celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has received chain-of-custody certification (GFA-COC-002105) from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent nonprofit organization established in 1993 to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

This certification allows Howard Printing to use FSC-certified paper that carries the FSC trademark, assuring clients that the paper was made from wood harvested from well-managed forests.

According to the FSC website (www.fscus.org), the organization was created in response to conversations between loggers, foresters, environmentalists, and sociologists who wanted to address challenges raised at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. They wanted to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. Today, the FSC standards for forest management are applied in more than 57 countries. The FSC’s international headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany, and the U.S. office is located in Minneapolis.

Additional steps Howard Printing is taking to reduce its impact on the environment is offsetting the company’s electrical use and carbon emissions by purchasing renewable energy credits and carbon offsets through Renewable Choice Energy. Founded in 1991, Colorado-based Renewable Choice Energy (www.renewablechoice.com) is an established leader in renewable energy and carbon mitigation solutions for businesses, and the winner of an EPA Green Power Partner award.

For more information, visit Howard Printing’s “Green” page online or call 802-254-3550.