I'd sign a letter, Donna. --E.
At 10:19 PM 1/12/99 -0700, you wrote:
>To Ecofem,
>
>Having recently researched the market and tracking down manufacturers for
>alternative products to timber as part of the Zero-cut campaign...
>
>finding straw board and bales a respectable natural alternative, and
having just
>been forced to sit through the most needless requisite course of my college
>career (Film Art) where the bottom line was weekly pronounced in billions of
>dollars worth of entertainment, and being tested on how many millions are
spent
>in production of same, and
>
>since this class and research having this recurrent dream of writing a
letter and
>asking Robert Redford (being environmentally conscientious in the public eye)
>with his new Sundance Studios to use alternative fiber for set design and
paper
>stock....
>
>thinking that all it takes is one of the big boys of the movie-making
industry,
>Copolla or Scorsesse, just one to make the move... surely the rest will
follow.
>
>What I've found is that there are maybe three viable strawboard business
in the
>United States, I've spoken to many upstarts who have been set up by their
>individual states only to find lack of interest or awareness (Pacific Gold
Board
>made of rice straw in Redding, California and Golden Ag made of wheat
straw in
>the state of Washington) worried about how they are going to keep their doors
>open. Boise Idaho Wheat Growers are pursuing this business, as is one of our
>local Tribes, the Coeur d'Alene (using blue grass that all farmers here
say they
>must burn, causing untold angst one month out of every year in this region).
>Texas, Louisiana, Dakota that's about all that I can find for viable
producers of
>this alternative to date. The newest manufactures are dedicated and
working hard
>to stay in business, not that business is right but eco-friendly business
does
>need a boost in circulation.
>
>Is anyone interested in pursuing this with me? Does anyone have
connections to
>contractors, developers, or big name business who would consider making the
>switch? Another goal I have while still alive is to see all federal
institutions
>in the US use 100% recycled or agrifiber paperstock, and use it in daily
>correspondence... my university shoved kenaf out the door last semester
>complaining of cost, hemp is illegal to these folks. As of today the
University
>of Idaho is using 100% virgin tree bleached paper. A travesty, but we're
working
>on it, hurdles with our biggest donor being Potlatch Paper Corp.
>
>Is anyone interested in pursuing these things? Adding your name to a
letter to
>Sundance Studios insisting he, the Robert and all his friends, utilize the
latest
>alternatives to deforestation and dioxins? These are land use issues as well,
>being pertinent to the Mother of all conventions (Mark Humbly quote) UN Earth
>Summit and the upcoming ag/deforestation/dessertification conference in
>Melbourne, AZ.
>
>please let me know what you think of these meanderings,
>/donna
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elizabeth L. MacNabb, PhD
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Service Learning, Career Development Center
Richmond Hall, UR, Richmond, VA 23173
phone 804-289-8686, fax 804-287-6465
