With people becoming more eco-conscious, many of you are looking for a ‘green’ planner or datebook. It should of course be made mostly from recycled and recyclable materials. The ink should be eco friendly and any plastic used should also be as sustainable as possible. The choice is not very varied at this time, unfortunately.
I’ve found pocket planners which use eco-friendly ink and FSC certified paper(*), but the plastic and cover are the usual non-eco friendly style.
These days there are more lines of green planners around. In previous years you could find only the the Brownline EcoLogix line of planners, which is not only green in the figurative sense (eco friendly), but also green in a literal sense: Green ink, made from vegetable oil. Some even have a green cover. This one comes in both a monthly and a weekly variety. The ‘At-A-Glance Recycled’ line comes in two varieties: large and medium. Both have loads of space for your notes and appointments.
Now there are also more colorful alternatives.
Check out the Blue Sky Academic Year Weekly & Monthly Planner with Wire-O Binding, for instance. Available in a light blue and a black and white floral design with pink accents. The weekly planning pages are shown above.
Paperblanks Planners – Week-at-a-time Planner
Paperblanks is committed to reducing their carbon footprint by using 100% acid-free paper sourced from sustainable forests. It doesn’t say this on Amazon, but it does say it on their own website. I guess they don’t see it as their main selling point. And why would they? They’re products are so beautiful!
Some of their monthly planner display a week at a time and have a ribbon to keep your place and a memento pouch. The planners sometimes have an elastic band closure and measures 3.5″ x 7″ while others may be larger in size.
The company that creates these vintage looking products is paying a self-imposed company “carbon tax” proportional to the GHG releases. I could go on about their merits but what is really amazing is that these 2014 pocket planners look too good to be made out of eco friendly products and makes a great eco gift.
Eco Friendly Planners from TF Publishing
TF Publishing has adopted environementally friendly production processes, so you know that if you buy one of their planners then they are taking steps to reduce the damage being done to the planet by manufacturing processes. It starts with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified papers and environmentally safe inks. They even use a wind turbine to power their headquarters!
Here’s just a sample of some of their Planners. See for instance they’re popular Chalk it Up line.
ECOlogical Softcover Engagement Calendar
Printed on FSC approved paper using soy-based inks
Bet you’ve never seen an engagement calendar like this before! Designed for use in the Northern Hemisphere, this Eco-friendly Planner presents information on seasonally visible stars, phases of the Moon and tides, ratios of darkness and light, seasonal behavior of Earth’s creatures, and a host of other details about the natural world.
Four foldout panels show each season in full.
The familiar Gregorian days, dates, weeks, and months are also included-but don’t be surprised if you begin thinking differently about time and our place in it!
Size closed: 9.0 ” x 7.0 “
WHY eco friendly or green?
It has become fairly obvious that a cultural change is necessary and we all start living in a way that is more sustainable to the environment in the long run. This means producing less waste, only buying stuff you need and using less water and energy. To write this down is rather easy. To actually do it, is a lot harder. I firmly believe two things:
- Government action is needed to make sure it becomes economically viable to be green in the whole process of producing consumer goods and using them.
- The only way to start the process is at the other end: people have to individually make a difference and become aware of their own place in the cycle.
The two are related: only when people change will the government change. Only when it becomes easier to be green (because the government has made it easier) will large amounts of people live more eco-friendly.
But you can start that process today. These calendars and planners will give you tips and reminders on how to keep up or get started on a healthy green lifestyle. Many of them are printed on recycled paper using eco-friendly ink.
Reader responses
I try as much as possible to buy “green”, including calendars and planners. I have found some great choice (and amazing designs) here in France. The Nature Jumbo Journal in your intro is nice tho, colorful! I also recycle my old planners as paper for my son. He just loves cutting and gluing those thing all over.
Everything that reduces our global footprint is worth considering.
FSC = Forest Stewardship Council approved. This means that while the paper isn’t recycled, it does come from forests that are managed sustainably. The result is paper with a high enough quality for daily use. Ideally though, it should be at least 50% recycled for real long term sustainability.
Do check out these green gardening tips