Contributed by Sabine Lenz

(Sabine Lenz, PaperSpecs, is a regular contributor to WhatTheyThink Going Green. Watch for her insights monthly.)

It was a dream panel - a paper mill's VP of sustainability, a green printing pioneer, a leading green paper manufacturer and a well-known green designer. From the complexity of carbon footprints to the intricacies of Green-e, we were prepared to drill down deep and wow the audience with our combined pool of knowledge. "Could you please explain what ‘Chain of Custody' means?" The question from a woman in the audience startled our panel, and it was fascinating (and deflating) to watch this group of great, passionate experts have a hard time explaining the terminology in a way that the attendee could comprehend. We've been talking GREEN for years, which leads us to be thoroughly convinced that everyone, and I mean everyone, is now familiar with the terminologies and can easily follow us on our deep sustainability discussions. But I have news for you. The majority of print and design professionals don't know their FSC from their Green-e. While it's important to discuss the long-range outlook for recycled fiber and de-inking facilities, there is still a pressing and immediate need to address the basics - like how print buyers determine what's green and what isn't. I have to thank this lady as she abruptly brought our green panel down to earth and made me realize that we're doing a great job of confusing people. In fact, she sparked the idea for a series of seminars and Webinars I've given in the last few months in an attempt to help our peers decipher green paper. Since that experience, I've been asking some initial evaluating questions to determine the level of knowledge in the room and the needs of the audience ... and then I adapt. This issue was again front and center for me just last week, when I presented a green session during the HOW Design Conference in Texas. A mill representative raised her hand to provide some much needed intricate statistics and facts ... only to be told by the rest of the audience that they preferred the "CliffsNotes" version. Bottom line is that we can't forget all the newbies that join our industry every day or are just starting to get their sustainable feet wet. They haven't had the time and opportunity to wade into the deep end yet. Think of it like a kid learning to swim with arm floaties. We need to keep it simple, learn to make the Green lingo understandable, and give everyone a chance to join us in our green quest. Imagine the great things we can do! Just remember to keep some Green floaties handy. About Sabine Lenz, Founder of PaperSpecs Sabine Lenz, graphic designer and world traveler, had a "Eureka moment" during the development of a key project when she discovered after a long search that the ideal paper she had chosen from her library of swatchbooks was no longer available. To prevent a repeat occurrence, for herself and designers around the world, she launched PaperSpecs, the first online paper database specifically developed for the design and print industries. With access to information on more than 4,400 papers from over 70 mills, the latest promotions and mill swatchbooks, PaperSpecs has been titled "THE Paper resource" by Frank Romano, Prof Emeritus RIT.