Paper & Trees
The Paper People are big fans of Million Metres who connect community planting projects with Kiwis, like you, who care about the future of our waterways. Their goal is to raise funds to plant one million metres of waterways with native plants and trees and our goal is to help them achieve that through making a 10¢ donation for every greeting card that you buy. On this page we will follow a current project that Million Metres is working on and which you, dear customers of The Paper People, are supporting. That way you can really see how you are making a difference.
The tree planting project that The Paper People are currently supporting is Love Lake Wanaka 2.0 Million Metres goal is to plant 24,000 native trees and plants along waterways in the Upper Clutha catchment by 2022. Planting native trees and plants helps stabilise the banks of waterways to reduce pollution and sediment. The trees shade the water, lowering water temperatures. They provide habitat and sustenance for native birds and fish.
Lake Wanaka is New Zealand’s fourth largest lake. It is fed by rivers that have their headwaters in permanent glaciers in the Southern Alps. The Clutha River or Mata-Au starts at Lake Wanaka and flows south across the Otago region to the Pacific Ocean south west of Dunedin.It’s the longest river in the South Island and the second longest river in the whole country. It has the highest flow, with twice the volume of water as the Waikato. . These healthy, pristine waters underpin the identity of the region and contribute immensely to the lifestyle enjoyed by the residents of the lake communities around Wanaka. It underpins the economy of these communities and draws visitors from around New Zealand and the world.
Million Metres is an online fundraising platform for restoring the banks of New Zealand waterways. Planting helps stabilise the banks of waterways, reduces erosion, filters pollutants and restores native habitat for wildlife. This initiative is led by the Sustainable Business Network in partnership with the Department of Conservation. You can support a planting project directly at millionmetres.org.nz. You can see our last contribution to Million Metres here
WHY PLANT STREAMS?
- 62% OF THE LENGTH OF ALL NZ RIVERS FAILS TO MEET SAFE SWIMMING STANDARDS
- 74% OF OUR NATIVE FRESHWATER FISH SPECIES ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION (UP 44% SINCE 1990)
- 75% OF NEW ZEALAND’S NATIVE FORESTS HAVE BEEN CUT DOWN
- 90% OF NEW ZEALAND’S HISTORIC WETLANDS HAVE BEEN DUMPED IN, DRAINED AND FILLED TO MAKE WAY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND AGRICULTURE. WETLANDS ARE THE KIDNEY OF OUR WATER SYSTEM – FILTERING OUT POLLUTANTS, ACT AS NURSERIES FOR WILDLIFE ETC.
There aren’t many industries around that can aspire to becoming genuinely sustainable. The paper industry, however, is one of them; it is inherently sustainable.
Jonathan Porritt, Chairman UK Sustainability Development Commission & Founder Forum for the Future
PAPER PRODUCTION CAN BE SUSTAINABLE. YOU MAY THINK ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO CARE ABOUT TREES AND SELL STATIONERY AT THE SAME TIME BUT WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE WORLD OF CARDS IN AOTEAROA BY GETTING THEM MADE LOCALLY FROM SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES AND MAKING THEM RECYCLABLE. WE ARE SUPER AWARE OF OUR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND HAVE BEEN FROM DAY ONE.
In fact it was the idea that greeting cards were being shipped from two people studios over in London all the way to New Zealand that made us think why can’t we do this? Why can’t cards be designed and sold in New Zealand? Using responsibly sourced paper that is recyclable with packaging that is recyclable too. We keep our stock at minimal levels to avoid wastage and get our cards printed in small runs. We use printers in Auckland and Dunedin to keep our footprint as small as possible. Both printers use an incredible new printing machine that is amazingly environmentally friendly called an HP Indigo Press which is zero carbon and uses compostable ink. Our printer in Auckland is Chain of Custody certified meaning they can guarantee that when we use their responsibly certified paper stocks, the paper can be verified right back to the forest the wood came from. Our paper and card is always sourced from FSC-certified forests and is created using Elemental Chlorine Free methods. This means we only ever work with paper suppliers who deal with forests that comply with the highest social and environmental standards. In short we are doing everything we can to make sending a card as eco-friendly as possible.